


Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom the Boy Who Lived

by Grace758



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Auror James Potter, Auror Lily Evans Potter, Aurors, Babies, Baby Harry, Baby Neville, Boy-Who-Lived Neville Longbottom, Butterfly Effect, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Children, Civil War, F/M, First War with Voldemort, Gen, Good Albus Dumbledore, Gryffindor, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Harry Potter is Not the Boy-Who-Lived, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts First Year, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape Friendship, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Misguided Albus Dumbledore, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24507325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grace758/pseuds/Grace758
Summary: One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...The prophecy claimed that only one held the power to vanquish the Dark Lord, but there were two different children who fit the prophecy's description.  In a Wizarding World at war where every decision is life or death, what happens when one decision is made that changes the lives of two little boys and everyone else in the Wizarding World, forever.  What happens if Harry is not the Boy Who Lived, not the chosen one, but instead Neville Longbottom is.
Relationships: Alice Longbottom/Frank Longbottom, Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Augusta Longbottom/Mr Longbottom Sr, Dirk Cresswell/Mary Macdonald, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Mr Granger/Mrs Granger (Harry Potter), Sirius Black/Hestia Jones
Comments: 23
Kudos: 22





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter depicts the First Wizarding War and what it would have been like to live during that time.
> 
> It also demonstrates why both Harry's and Neville's parents fit the prophecy, and it all leads up to the decision that changed the Wizarding World forever...

Hidden in the corners, nooks, and crannies of this world is another world, a magical world, which has been cleverly hidden from the eyes of ordinary people (commonly referred to as muggles) for nearly three centuries. 

While the inhabitants of this magical world (commonly referred to as witches and wizards) once lived in harmony with the muggles, their fear of the vast power these witches and wizards possessed led the muggles to persecute them. This persecution, while overall quite ineffective against individuals with such power, drove the magical community to live in secrecy to live peacefully and to protect the young ones among them who struggled to control their power and could not defend themselves with it yet. Due to this separation in 1692, the magical world full of witches and wizards remained almost frozen in time. 

In the following three centuries the muggle world changed and evolved beyond recognition. Much of this change was due to their determination to increase their standard of living, but also due to once valued traditions being left in the past in favour of new discoveries and a supposed better understanding of the world. The inhabitants of the Wizarding World had no need to increase their standard of living as magic already gave them all that they needed. Therefore, if a muggle wandered into one of these little corners of the Wizarding World, it would appear to them as though they had taken a step back in time to the late 17th century in terms of dress, architecture, customs, and culture.

However, while magic had the capabilities to solve most any muggle malady or problem that could possibly arise, it tended to create almost as many problems as it could solve. While a witch or wizard could easily cure a muggle malady such as the flu, smallpox, tuberculosis, or HIV, magical maladies such as dragon pox, spattergroit, lycanthropy or blood malediction are much harder to cure, and they continue to afflict and claim the lives of witches and wizards all over the world.

One such example of this is the deaths of Fleamont and Euphemia Potter to the disease dragon pox in early 1979. Their deaths, which were only mere days apart, left their 19-year-old son, James Potter, orphaned. James was a lanky man with messy black hair, hazel eyes behind rectangular glasses, and a sense of humour and tendency for pranks which was only rivaled by his three best friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. 

James’ parents were elderly, and he always knew that he would outlive them by a great deal, however, he had not expected it to be nearly so soon. He had always believed that his parents would live at the very least to the ripe old age of 120 before passing away; giving them plenty of time to meet their future grandchildren and potentially even great-grandchildren. Instead, they had only just barely lived to see James marry his childhood crush, a beautiful, red-haired, green-eyed woman with an intelligent mind, compassionate heart, and fiery temper, named Lily Evans. 

At that time, Wizarding Britain, where James lived, was in the midst of a civil war. James, his wife Lily, his three closest friends, and many more of their graduated classmates from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had joined a retaliatory group led by the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, called the Order of the Phoenix. James had already witnessed two of his year mates, with whom he had once shared a dormitory room, die in battle with those on the Dark Side. As such, James had grown more accustomed to death and tragedy than any 19-year-old had any right to be. 

However, the deaths of his parents were different than the deaths of those who died in battle or on missions. There was no tangible enemy, no way to fight it, no way to avenge them. James was not prepared for the helplessness he felt as his mother and father slowly and painfully faded away. 

Shortly after their deaths while on a mission gone awry (his presence there having been strongly contested by many, but he had refused to listen) due to his unstable mindset and persisting feeling of helplessness, James recklessly ran into battle with Lord Voldemort himself, the leader of the opposition and the most dangerous dark wizard in recorded history. If not for Lily Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin quickly running to help him fight and then get him out of there, James undoubtedly would have joined his parents in the afterlife.

After this incident, James took some time away from the Order of the Phoenix to grieve the deaths of his parents. During this time, the only people who saw him were his wife, and his three closest friends; particularly Sirius Black who had been living with the Potters since he was sixteen.

Sirius viewed the Potters as his parents, more than his biological parents, so he too took their loss very hard. Having Sirius’ company and the knowledge that he was not the only one going through this, was the catalyst that eventually brought James back to himself. He loved his wife dearly and always would, but James knew with certainty that the person closest to him and who knew him best in this world, was his pale, black-eyed, dark, and shaggy-haired friend. He was like a brother to him, and Sirius felt very much the same. In Sirius’ mind, James was the only family he had left. In fact, when his own biological father passed away later that same year, Sirius didn’t shed a single tear and never bothered to attend the funeral.

When James returned to the Order, they were not doing well. Morale was declining, some of their number had opted to go into hiding instead of continuing to fight, believing that there was no hope left for their side. The name of Voldemort alone had become something so frightening that most would no longer dare to speak it, opting instead to call him “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” or “You-Know-Who”. 

Muggles were being killed for sport by Voldemort’s wizard followers, the “Death Eaters”, and the giants which had joined them were causing indescribable damage; both of which the Ministry of Magic (the governmental body of Wizarding Britain) was having an incredibly difficult time covering up. Those in the Ministry were in over their heads as they simultaneously attempted to fight and prevent Voldemort, his followers, and his powerful allies from toppling the Ministry and taking power as was their aim, as well as keep the Statute of Secrecy intact and keep the Muggles oblivious to the existence of magic. 

Many members of the Order of the Phoenix also worked in the Ministry, some of them being Aurors, who were meant to protect the Wizarding World from the Dark Arts and those who practice them. Due to these members, despite the Ministry attempting to save face with the public, those in the Order knew exactly how badly the Ministry was losing this war. While some took this to mean that the Wizarding World needed the existence of the Order of the Phoenix more than ever, others felt that there was simply no hope and their defeat was inevitable.

*

One dark night in mid-June Lily Potter received word that her parents’ car had been among the remains in a giant attack. Full of grief and pain and rage, Lily Potter immediately apparated to the location in which the Order had recently discovered Lord Voldemort and a good majority of his Death Eaters to be residing. Despite knowing the location, they had not gone to attack it as with their dwindling numbers and morale, such an attempt would be pure suicide. 

Despite knowing this, Lily Potter blasted her way onto the property and began throwing out spells and curses left and right at the Death Eaters who stood on guard. Before she realized it, her husband was by her side telling her what an idiot she was for doing something like this and blasting Death Eaters away right alongside her. 

Lily and James bickered as they fought, however before James could convince his wife to leave this place with him while they were still intact, Lord Voldemort himself stormed out of the building and they were both sent flying through the air. 

Fear gripped their hearts and pain coursed through their bodies, but they stood up and stood their ground for the second time against the man so frightening that their comrades refused to speak his name. Within seconds it was clear that the Dark Lord was far more than the two of them could handle, even together, but they had no chance of escape. 

Just as they had been backed into a corner and they were certain they were about to die, Lily turned to James and said with tears in her eyes,

“I am so sorry James.” to which he simply replied,

“Don’t be. I chose to follow you here. I would rather die with you than live without you.” The two then interlocked their fingers and shut their eyes tight as they waited for death --

But it never came. 

Lily opened her eyes first and nudged James to do the same. Albus Dumbledore and Alastor Moody stood in front of them, defending them against Voldemort. Alastor Moody shouted to them,

“You stupid kids need to get out of here! Now!!” they hesitated for only a moment before obeying Moody’s command. They apparated (a form of instantaneous magical transportation) back to Order headquarters and Lily burst into tears full of grief and guilt. 

Shortly after they arrived Dumbledore and Moody joined them and the two were given a harsh lecture from Moody, along with a few simple words from Dumbledore which made Lily feel worse than Moody’s lecture did. Dumbledore walked away, but before Moody followed, he turned around and said to them,

“What you two did was incredibly foolish and irresponsible… but you’ve got guts. Not many would have the nerve to storm into Voldemort’s Headquarters alone and start a fight, especially not with the current state of the war.” he chuckled, “Get yourselves some brains to go with that nerve and you just might have a place with the Aurors when this is all done. If you survive that is.”

“Do you really think this war will ever end?” James asked.

“I was around for the last war, Potter. The one with Grindelwald. That one also felt like it would never end, that we had no hope of winning. But it did, and we did. The Light has always won in Britain, and one snake-faced lunatic isn’t going to change that. The only way we’ll lose is if we give up and stop fighting.”

*

A few months later during a particularly fearsome battle, James and Lily came face to face with Voldemort yet again. By their side this time, were Frank and Alice Longbottom, who were both members of the Order of the Phoenix and Aurors. Frank had been in their year at Hogwarts and Alice had been in the year above, and the two of them had themselves already come face to face with Voldemort once before. 

The four fought Voldemort with all their magical strengths. They dodged and deflected curse after curse, but even with the four of them together and all the Death Eaters distracted by other Order members and Aurors, they were no match for him. 

Lily and Frank were incapacitated during the fight, leaving only James and Alice to fend off the Dark Lord. A few other Order members and Aurors joined the fight against him, but it was clear to all present, fighting Voldemort and otherwise, that they were losing. One of the members of the Order then shot three red sparks into the air, that was the signal to evacuate. James and Alice both immediately ran to their respective spouses and disapparated. 

*

A few months later in late November, Alice Longbottom discovered that she was pregnant. Less than a fortnight after, Lily discovered the same. Upon her discovery, Lily chose to restrain herself from going on missions or entering battle to protect the life growing inside of her, opting instead to help the Order in other ways such as cleaning, cooking, attending meetings and helping to assign missions.

Meanwhile, Alice chose to continue her work as an Auror and with the Order but was cognizant and careful about it. Both husbands also continued with battle and missions, but with a new fervor and hope in their eyes. 

The presence of two pregnant women in the Order truly helped to boost morale, as the dark and serious times were punctuated by happiness and joy, with many baby-related gifts given and a new determination to make the future brighter for those children who would both be born in late July…

*

In January of 1980 the Potters heard tell that while on a mission that had gone horribly wrong, the Longbottoms had come face to face with Voldemort for the third time and had very nearly lost their lives. James and Lily immediately went to visit them in St. Mungo’s, along with a crowd of other frantically worried Order members, friends and family. 

Fortunately, all three Longbottoms were able to make a full recovery. From that point onward Alice and Frank swore that they would stay out of missions entirely until their child was born. The last thing either of them wanted was to cause the death or orphaning of their unborn baby.

After what had nearly happened to the Longbottoms, Lily pleaded with James to stay out of danger.

“James please, I don’t want my baby, my son, to have to grow up without a father… Who would be there to teach him how to play Quidditch, or-or to show him what it really means to be a good man --”

James pulled his panicked wife into his arms and held her tight. “Alright Lils, I’ll stay out of the action for now.” The redhead relaxed in his embrace as a single tear slipped out of her eye.

Around this time, rumours began to spread through the Order that there was a traitor amongst them. It was only rumours at this point and most did not believe it, however, there were a few instances when the timing of the Death Eaters was simply too perfect to be mere coincidence...

*

On March 17th, 1980, during a job interview Dumbledore was conducting in the Hog’s Head Pub, Sybill Trelawney went into a trance and prophesied to him.

“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…”

Severus Snape, a follower of Voldemort who had once been best friends with Lily Potter, was eavesdropping and overheard the first two lines of the prophecy. However, the pub owner, Aberforth, who was both a member of the Order of the Phoenix and Albus Dumbledore’s younger brother, caught him as the second line was said and threw him out of the pub. Despite not hearing the prophecy in its entirety, Severus Snape immediately reported what he had heard to his master, Lord Voldemort. 

However, to Severus’ horror, a few days after he had reported what he had heard, Voldemort had concluded that the prophecy could refer to two separate couples who he knew to be with child and who had faced him three times. One of those was the Longbottoms, and the other was the Potters. 

For some unknown reason, Voldemort was insistent that it must be the Potter’s child and was determined to go after him in particular. Severus’ childhood affections for Lily Potter led him to run to Dumbledore and beg and plead with him to save her. 

From this point onward Severus became a double-agent, working for both Dumbledore and Voldemort, with both aware of his interactions with the other. He became a member of the Order; however, Dumbledore saw fit to exclude him from most meetings and only gave him information which he deemed necessary for Severus to have. 

Despite Dumbledore’s mistrust and Voldemort’s implicit trust, Severus Snape’s loyalties always laid with Lily Potter due to their childhood friendship and the affections he still retained towards her despite her marriage to James Potter, and the fact that they had not spoken in nearly five years.

After receiving this warning from Severus, Dumbledore immediately instructed both the Potters and the Longbottoms to go into hiding separately using the Fidelius Charm, which hides a location and entrusts the ability to reveal it to a single person known as a Secret Keeper. The Potters chose Sirius Black to be their Secret Keeper, while the Longbottoms chose Emmeline Vance, a member of the Order of the Phoenix and Alice’s best friend whom she had known since her first year at Hogwarts, and whom she trusted implicitly. 

*

The Longbottom’s son was born on July 30th, 1980 and they named him Neville Franklyn Longbottom. His father’s parents Augusta and Trevor Longbottom were made his Godparents. 

The Potter’s son was born the following day on July 31st, 1980 and they named him Harry James Potter. Due to the private nature of his birth, Harry was not given a Godmother, however, Sirius Black was made his Godfather. 

*

The Potters and the Longbottoms remained in hiding for well over a year. Sirius, Remus, and Peter (who along with James had entitled themselves the Marauders while they were in school) frequently came to visit the Potters and bring them news of the war; news which was often bad. 

More deaths, more disappearances, more destruction, more failed missions, and more battles. James wanted nothing more than to leave their house in Godric’s Hollow and rejoin the fights, however, on Dumbledore’s orders he remained in the house. The only place the Potters ever went while they were in hiding was to the Longbottom’s house as they were in hiding as well. At times, Lily, Harry, and all four Marauders would visit the Longbottoms together, who were always quite happy to have their company. 

Over that year while the Potters and Longbottoms were in hiding, the rumours of a traitor amongst the Order grew and grew as instances seeming to show that they had an informant among them occurred more and more frequently. Most in the Order believed the traitor to be one of two individuals, either Sirius Black or Remus Lupin. 

Those who believed it to be Sirius argued that Sirius came from one of the darkest of families in Britain, and many of his closely related family members were rumoured to be within the ranks of the Death Eaters. While those who believed it to be Remus argued that since Remus was a werewolf he has a dark nature and may be more drawn to the darker path than most are.

Additionally, Voldemort had many werewolf packs among his allies as he had promised them that when he won, in his new Wizarding World he would grant them better rights and end the prejudice against them. Both Sirius and Remus knew that they themselves were in fact innocent, however hearing the arguments which those in the Order put forth, despite their long friendship since the age of 11, each of them truly began to believe that the other was the traitor. 

There were periods of time when their suspicions of one another drove a wedge through their friendship. They would argue with one another constantly, accuse each other of egregious things, refuse to speak to each other for days on end, and a few times they even outright physically fought and dueled with magic. 

James felt torn between the two as he cared deeply for both of them and insisted to anyone who would listen that he trusted all his friends completely, and there was no way that either of them was the traitor. 

*

In early September of 1981, Sirius suggested to Lily and James in private that they should change their Secret Keeper to Peter. Sirius knew that the Dark Side saw him as a threat and they knew that he was close to them, but Peter? Nothing about Peter was threatening in the slightest. He was far from exceptionally skilled magically, he was clumsy, fearful, sweet, mild-tempered, and altogether harmless. The Dark certainly didn’t see him as a threat and he rarely ever participated in battles. They would never suspect that they would use him as their Secret Keeper. It would be much safer for them to switch their Secret Keeper to him, who was far less likely to be killed.

James and Lily seriously considered his words and debated whether they should change their Secret Keeper to their less threatening friend as a sort of bluff. However, in the end, they decided that changing their Secret Keeper was not necessary, and they trusted Sirius both to keep their location secret and to stay alive. Lily even made the point that changing their Secret Keeper would be pretty much giving him permission to be reckless with his life. 

The Potters had no idea just how significant a decision this was, just how much this decision would change not only their lives, but also the life of their son, everyone they knew, and even the very fate of Wizarding Britain itself.

September became October which then became November, the Potters and Longbottoms remained in hiding and the war waged on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my story :)
> 
> Please leave a comment below expressing your thoughts, feelings, constructive criticisms or theories about what will happen next!
> 
> I will try my best to respond to every comment! :)
> 
> PS. Also, I tried uploading an image of the story's cover but it didn't work, so if anyone could give me some tips as to how I could do that so you can all see my lovely photoshopping skills, I would really appreciate that! :)


	2. A Split in History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> History truly begins to diverge from the story of Harry Potter that we all know. October 31st has passed and James and Lily are still alive. Harry is still just a normal boy living with his loving parents. Both couples are still in hiding with their secret keepers keeping their locations safe. But the war has not ended yet, Voldemort has not been destroyed. 
> 
> What will the consequences be for the Potters' good fortune?

In the very early morning of November 19th, 1981, Death Eaters attacked the home of Emmeline Vance, where she lived with her parents and two younger brothers who were 16 and 12 years of age. Her parents were murdered as they slept in their beds. Milo, the younger brother was the first to wake, and he died alerting the house to the danger within it. Emmeline and Darin were startled awake by their brother’s voice, but they were too late to save his life.

The two remaining Vances fought bravely against the nearly half-dozen Death Eaters which had broken into their house, but they were no match for their numbers.

Darin was killed by Augustus Rookwood, a death that Emmeline quickly avenged. She continued to fight against the remaining four Death Eaters and even managed to bring their number down to three as she killed young Amycus Carrow, a boy only a year older than Darin who (along with his twin sister Alecto) had followed in his now late parents’ footsteps and joined the Death Eaters.

However, Alecto was present among the remaining three Death Eaters, and in rage and grief, she killed Emmeline Vance.

When news of what had happened to Emmeline reached the ears of Albus Dumbledore, he sent word to Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Hestia Jones, Mary MacDonald, and Dirk Cresswell (all of which, aside from the latter two, were members of the Order) to meet him at the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters that evening.

At the headquarters the six who were called met with Dumbledore and Severus Snape, who stood silently at the older man’s side looking distinctly like a large bat.

“What’s that slimy, evil bastard doing here??” Sirius growled upon seeing Severus. Before the darkly clad man could retort something even viler in return, Dumbledore stepped in and replied, 

“Severus has accompanied me to this meeting to assist me in casting a spell I would rather not perform myself.”

“And what spell would that be?” Sirius snapped.

“Sirius,” Dumbledore chided, “If you would be so kind as to be patient with me for a moment, I will address that. But first, I have some rather unfortunate news to share with you all.” the six stiffened as they waited to hear who it was that had died. “Early this morning Emmeline Vance and her entire family were murdered by Lord Voldemort’s followers,”

All of those present flinched at the sound of the name, the two women gasped and Mary MacDonald began to sob.

“I regret to inform you all that the unfortunate tidings do not stop there.” Dumbledore continued dejectedly, “You see, Emmeline Vance was the Secret Keeper of the Longbottom’s location, and with her passing the ability to disclose their location has fallen to everyone she told of said location, which includes the six of you, Lily and James Potter, and Frank Longbottom’s parents -- Peter, did you have something you wanted to add?”

The other five turned to look at Peter Pettigrew who seemed to be doing an odd sort of dance with one hand between his legs and the other straight up in the air.

“Er, sorry Professor Dumbledore sir, but I’ve really got to use the loo…” Remus sighed, and Sirius teased him, saying that he should have done that before they left. Dumbledore allowed him to be excused and then continued what he had been saying to the rest.

“As I was saying, I do not want to insinuate that I don’t trust each of you, however with rumour and evidence of a traitor amongst the Order, I must take precautions.” Sirius and Lupin each glanced at the other before quickly looking away. “Each of you will be given the choice to either have the location erased from your memory or to temporarily undergo the Unbreakable Vow until such a time that a new Secret Keeper can be established.

“After we have finished here, I would like to ask if Sirius could accompany myself, and only myself, to the Potter’s house to offer the same choices to Lily and James, and if they choose the Vow I would like to ask, Sirius, that you would perform it, as I assume you know how.”

“I do,” Sirius confirmed stiffly, as he glanced at the others uncomfortably.

“Splendid. Following that Sirius, I will then leave your company to visit the elder Longbottoms with Severus.” they all showed their understanding of his plan, and then one by one they each chose which method they would prefer to be used on them.

Mary MacDonald and Dirk Cresswell asked to be obliviated because they did not want dark magic performed on them, and Remus chose the same for reasons he would not disclose to the group. Hestia Jones chose the Unbreakable Vow as she still wanted to know the location of her friend’s house as she had intended to go over there the following afternoon for tea.

Sirius also chose the Unbreakable Vow as he knew that were he to be obliviated, a skilled wizard could still uncover that memory if they so tried. The process required would likely leave him a vegetable, but they would discover the location. Meanwhile, under the Unbreakable Vow, he would die before ever revealing that information.

Severus performed the Obliviations first, then he moved on to the Unbreakable Vows, wherein Sirius and Hestia were made to swear that they would not reveal the Longbottoms’ location in any way to anyone unless they had been told to do so by Albus Dumbledore himself. Once they had finished, Sirius walked towards the bathroom to fetch Peter.

“Wormtail, let’s go!” Sirius bellowed, using Peter’s nickname given to him for his animagus form as a rat. “It’s your turn! What, did you turn into a rat and fall in?” Sirius chuckled at his own joke as he knocked on the bathroom door, but he received no answer.

“Wormtail?” he knocked again, “Peter??” he shouted at the door. Sirius frowned, “Put your junk away Wormtail, I’m coming in!” he opened the door, but Peter was nowhere to be seen.

Sirius walked back to the meeting room and announced, “Peter’s not here.” Dumbledore’s face went pale as a deathly serious look came over it.

“Severus, find out what your Master is doing and report back to me.” the dark man nodded and immediately disapparated. “As for the rest of you, we’re going to the Longbottom’s. Sirius and Ms. Jones, I give you permission to take Mr. Cresswell and Ms. MacDonald to the Longbottom’s location. Remus, come with me.”

The six then apparated to just outside the Longbottom’s house, but it was too late. Half of the upper floor was obliterated, and the front door was blasted off its hinges. The six made their way through the house, wands drawn. They searched the first floor and when they found nothing they began to make their way upstairs. To their horror, laying across the top of the staircase was Frank Longbottom's dead body.

Dirk Cresswell fell to his knees beside the body and began to sob. Hestia put a hand on his shoulder in comfort, but they didn’t stay there for long. The others all stepped over Frank’s body to search the destroyed top floor, Hestia joined them, but Dirk would not leave the body of his best friend.

The sound of crying led the group to what remained of Alice and Frank’s bedroom. The body of Alice Longbottom was splayed across the floor. The damage to the house seemed to emanate outwards from the bed, and laying down at the end of it, crying, was one-year-old Neville Longbottom, with a bright, blood-red, lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

At the sight of Alice’s body, Mary began to cry and ran from the room. Remus and Sirius looked at one another with a confusing mix of emotions in their eyes, the most prominent of which being guilt. It was clear to them both at this point that neither one of them had been the traitor.

Remus put his head in his hand as the reality of the situation hit him. Hestia immediately rushed forward and picked up the crying infant to try and soothe him. Dumbledore walked into the room next to them (whose wall had been reduced to rubble) and picked up a bone-white wand off the ground.

At the sound of a loud bang, everyone turned to see that Sirius had punched a hole in the only surviving wall in the room. He pulled his bleeding hand out of the wall and screamed,

“THAT DIRTY TRAITOROUS LITTLE RAT! All along he was the one who -- and now this!! And it could have been -- we trusted -- OH, I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!! WORMTAIL!!!” He ran across the room and stormed down the stairs, shouting swears and vulgarities about Peter as he went. Remus immediately followed after him and jumped down the first few steps over Frank’s body.

“Sirius!” Remus shouted at his fuming friend, “Sirius stop! Think rationally here!”

“What is there to think rationally about??” Sirius turned around and screamed in the middle of the Longbottom’s living room. “Wormtail is a Death Eater -- !”

“We don’t know that for certain,” Remus interjected.

“Yes, we do! What else could this all mean?? Peter was the traitor, not you, not me. It’s his fault we nearly killed each other back in August! It’s his fault that the Longbottoms are dead! We went to school with Frank, shared a dormitory with him, and yet Peter, he still, he -- And just think about how many others he caused to die by giving information to You-Know-W -- to Voldemort!” Remus flinched. “I’m going to kill him, don’t try to stop me! He deserves to die for all he’s done, all he could have -- !”

But Sirius stopped yelling as he saw Dumbledore coming downstairs with Hestia and Neville behind him.

“Sirius, Remus, I need the two of you to take Neville to the Potter’s house, he’ll be safe there until I can find other arrangements for him.”

“Can’t Remus do that by himself??” Sirius pleaded, “I have to --”

“Sirius, I want you to go as well because I want you to remain there.” Sirius began to protest but Dumbledore interrupted him, “You are the Potter’s Secret Keeper, the last thing we all need right now is for you to be killed in your recklessness and leave the Potters as unprotected as the Longbottoms were this evening.” Sirius’ eyes dropped to the ground and all of his determination and gusto seemed to fade away. He nodded stiffly in agreement, still staring at the ground.

“Professor, what about me? Hestia asked, “What should I do?”

“Ms. Jones, it would be best if you accompanied Remus and Sirius to the Potter’s house. Peter knew you were at the meeting, it may be dangerous for you to be wandering unprotected.”

“But what about Mary and Dirk??” Hestia asked in a panic, “They aren’t here, what if they’re in danger -- ?” Remus and Sirius then finally realized that Dirk was no longer next to Frank’s body.

“Do not worry,” Dumbledore insisted, “I will figure everything out.” that seemed to settle Hestia’s panic, and Dumbledore began to turn away to leave, but just before he did, Remus stepped forward and asked,

“Professor Dumbledore, what exactly happened in this house?” Dumbledore turned back to look at him and replied,

“It appears that Voldemort,” they all flinched, “Paid the Longbottoms a visit after receiving their location from Peter Pettigrew.” Remus stepped forward to protest, but Dumbledore continued, “There was no other way he could have found out, unless you believe that Frank’s parents are the ones responsible for giving up their own son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild?” Remus said nothing. “With Peter’s disappearance this evening, it is the only conclusion I can come to.”

“Could Peter have been forced to tell?” Remus proposed, “Perhaps he was taken by the Death Eaters.” Dumbledore sighed.

“If only that were true Remus… I understand you do not want to think ill of your friend, but the Fidelius Charm prevents the location from being given out under threat or torture.” Remus closed his eyes, then nodded stiffly. Before Dumbledore could turn to leave once again, Remus asked the next question that was unsettling his mind.

“Professor Dumbledore, if He-Who-M --”

“Use his name, Remus.”

“If… V-Voldemort,” Remus stammered, “Was here, then, where is he? Why is half the Longbottom’s house destroyed? And why is Neville alive when Alice and Frank are not?”

“I cannot say for certain,” Dumbledore began, “But it appears that Voldemort has been destroyed.” Shock ran through the three young adults and Sirius immediately exclaimed,

“What? How? After everyone in the Order failed to kill him so many times, what was it that actually managed to do it?” Dumbledore paused for a moment, then replied,

“I still need to ponder this incident more, but the scene we came across seems to show that by some miracle, the force which finally managed to destroy Lord Voldemort,” they flinched, “Seems to have come from that child in Hestia’s arms.”

Remus and Sirius turned to look at Neville and stared at the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, which had not been there the last time they had seen him only a few weeks prior.

However, before they could ask any more questions, Dumbledore said that he had many things he had to do because of this incident, and many people he must go talk to. He reiterated what he told them to do and then disapparated.

The three shell-shocked young adults walked over to the Longbottom’s fireplace to use the Floo Network (another form of instantaneous magical transportation) to get to the Potter’s house, as apparition was too dangerous to be used with young children. Sirius told Hestia the location of the Potter’s house and then they each allowed the green flames of the Floo Network to consume them in turn, and they quickly arrived at their destination.

The two Potter’s were in their living room and immediately stood up upon their arrival. They all stepped out of the fire and Remus began to explain what had happened. At first, the Potters simply refused to believe that Peter would do such a thing.

Particularly James, who became angry at the suggestion, and threw out many of the same questions which Remus himself had asked only minutes prior. Eventually, the information began to sink in and James sank down into his chair with his head in his hands.

To keep herself busy, Lily chose to show Hestia the way to Harry’s room so that she could put Neville down. The two infants had already met each other multiple times and she felt it best for Neville to be in familiar company.

Remus sat down next to James, and after a few minutes of silence, the two continued talking about what had happened, and what its implications were. Meanwhile, Sirius sat sullenly in the chair in the corner, his face covered by shadows.

“It could have been us, Remus,” James declared darkly, “It would have happened eventually, either them or us. The prophecy could have meant either Neville or Harry, and according to Dumbledore, Voldemort,” Remus flinched, “Was aiming for us. The Longbottoms were only a second choice when he couldn’t get to us. It should have been us, Remus. They died in our place.” Remus was silent for a moment and then he confided,

“...This might make me an awful person, but if it had to be either you or them, I’m glad it was them.” James looked up at him in shock that he would say such a thing. “You and Lily are two of my closest friends… Two of only a handful of people who have ever treated me like a human being, like I’m worth something. If you died… and if Sirius had been the one killed instead of Emmeline Vance… and with Peter a… I don’t know what I would have done with myself…” James looked him hard in the eyes and said,

“Don’t talk like that. If me, Lils, and Sirius had been the ones to die, I want to believe that you would have been just fine. You would have taken care of Harry, you would have found new people who would care for you and understand your furry little problem.” a smile tugged at the corners of Remus’ mouth for a moment, but then it was gone, and he sighed,

“James, no, that’s not --” but he cut himself off as Hestia came down the stairs and told them that Lily had chosen to stay upstairs with the babies.

Sirius then abruptly stood up, stated that he needed a drink, and stomped out of the room. Hestia stared towards the doorway he had stomped through with concern. James told her not to worry, that’s just how Sirius was, and he would be back to his senses in no time if they just left him alone. Hestia ignored James’ words and left to check on him anyway.

When Sirius saw her, he asked sarcastically if she was there to cheer him up.

“No, I’m not,” she contended smoothly, and Sirius’ raised his eyebrows at her gall, “Because I don’t think there’s anything to cheer up about. Two of our friends and fellow Order members are dead, their son is orphaned, and even though Dumbledore says that You-Know-Who was destroyed, there’s no body.

“But even if he was destroyed, that won’t end this war. Life isn’t like chess, just because you kill the king that doesn’t mean you win the game.” Sirius looked at her curiously as she sat down in the chair next to his, “So there are plenty of reasons to sit in a corner drinking right now, but I have a feeling that it’s something else that’s bothering you.”

Sirius smirked briefly and simply sat for a moment, swirling his glass. He took a sip from it, and then divulged,

“I’ve been friends with Peter Pettigrew since my first year of Hogwarts. That’s about ten years ago now. He was a short, chubby little kid who could barely hold a wand properly. The other three boys in our dormitory, Brian Alton, Alik Renshaw, and Frank, used to tease him a lot and push him around. The three all grew up to be great men in the Order, and now all three have died for the cause, but we all did stupid things when we were kids.

“Anyway, James didn’t like how they were treating him and he sort of took him under his wing. Peter was more than eager to hang out with us, even though we teased him a bit too, but it was all in fun. Peter was like our own personal little Fanclub. He was always so clumsy and harmless, a coward, and the least threatening person you could imagine.

“If one of us was the traitor then it would have made sense if it was me or Remus, like everyone in the Order thought. Never in a million years would I have ever suspected Peter. And that’s why, almost two months ago, I suggested to James and Lily that they should change their Secret Keeper from me to Peter, as a sort of bluff. Because no one would ever think it would be him.” Sirius drank the rest of the liquor in his glass and said darkly,

“Those bodies we found tonight could have been James and Lily. James even thinks that it should have been, and had they listened to my stupid advice, it would have been. I almost killed two of my best friends!” Sirius suddenly threw his empty liquor glass against the wall, shattering it as he growled, “And now all I want to do is HUNT DOWN THAT RAT TRAITOR --! But Dumbledore is right… If I want to protect James and Lily from ending up like Frank and Alice, I have to stay here. If I die like Emmeline Vance, then Peter will be able to give out this location as well.”

“Sirius…” Hestia said with a sigh as she pointed her wand at the shards of glass and repaired them. “You couldn’t have known that Peter was the traitor. No one knew, not even Dumbledore. He was your friend, and you trusted him. And there’s no use thinking about what could have happened, the fact is that James and Lily are alive. In case you have forgotten, my friends are not. Frank and Alice are dead, not James and Lily, so stop feeling so sorry for yourself!” Sirius inhaled sharply as her words cut him, “You should be grateful that your friends are still here, right in the other room.

“Emmeline and Alice have been my best friends since first year as well, and both of them died today! This war is merciless and cruel, there were so many decisions made, and if any one of them had been changed, who knows which of us would be alive and which of us would be dead now.” Hestia wiped her eyes angrily as if offended by her tears. “So don’t you go sitting alone in the corner like this when you have nothing to even be upset about!”

“I-I’m sorry,” Sirius croaked, the words feeling strange in his mouth, “I’ve been so wrapped up in what could have happened, I suppose I forgot about what really did. This must be very hard for you --”

“No, stop,” Hestia interrupted, “I didn’t come in here to start my own pity party. This is war, we all knew what we were signing up for when we joined the Order, we all knew what could happen. I have comfort in knowing that Alice and Frank died protecting their son from an evil man; and they actually succeeded. Neville is alive, and Dumbledore says that You-Know-Who is destroyed; what a legacy to leave behind. It’s too soon for me to accept that You-Know-Who is gone, but if he really is, then their deaths were not in vain. I said I didn’t come in here to cheer you up, and I meant it, but I can’t stand to see you sitting here alone dwelling on a future that didn’t even happen. All we can do is move forward and live our lives to honour the ones we’ve lost.”

Sirius smiled and said, “Thank you, I think I needed that. I can get a bit moody sometimes.”

Hestia laughed, “You call throwing your friend’s glasses against the wall and vowing to kill your ex-friend ‘a bit moody’?” Sirius scratched his head sheepishly before diving into dramatic stories from his childhood that made throwing glasses and vowing murder seem trivial.

The two told each other stories and laughed at themselves and each other for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story! Please leave a comment below letting me know what you think or if you have any theories on what you think will happen next! What will these events change? How will this butterfly effect expand?


	3. The Beginning of a New Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter depicts what happened after the attack on the Longbottom's house, sets up the circumstances in which Neville and Harry will spend their next 10 years and displays certain unavoidable consequences which some readers may find difficult to read. Reader discretion is advised.

The next day, Remus and Hestia were in the kitchen making dinner, while Harry and Neville were stumbling and crawling about the living room playing with one another with James, Lily and Sirius watching them. 

Harry grabbed his toy broom that he’d got for his first birthday from Sirius and started waving it around. The adults laughed, and hearing their laughter, Neville began to laugh as well, a high-pitched shrieky little laugh, which only made the adults laugh harder. While Harry was shaking the toy broomstick it suddenly started to fly forwards. Harry was dragged across the floor about three feet before he let go and started to cry.

Lily picked him up and rocked him, while Neville crawled over to the Potter’s cat, Delta. Delta stared at him curiously, then turned around, flicked her tail in his face and started walking away, but Neville grabbed her tail and she jumped up into the air, hissing. James laughed and claimed,

“Delta, you kinda deserved that one!” Meanwhile, Harry had stopped crying and was struggling to get out of Lily’s arms. Lily put him down and Harry immediately stumbled toward the still hissing Delta and the now cowering Neville. When Harry reached Delta, he punched her on the nose. James and Sirius roared with laughter.

“Harry!” Lily scolded, “That’s not very nice! Why would you punch Delta?” Harry turned to face them, pointed at Delta and said,

“Bad kitty!” James laughed, picked his son up and questioned,

“Harry, were you protecting your friend?” Harry just stared at him and didn’t answer, James rephrased what he said, “Did you hurt Delta because she was mean to Neville?” Harry nodded,

“Bad kitty.” he repeated. James smiled and turned to Lily,

“See hun, we’ve got us a little Gryffindor in the making!” Lily sighed and picked Neville up.

“He still needs to be taught that he can’t just hit the cat, James.” then she turned to Neville and said soothingly, “It’s okay, it’s okay, the kitty can’t get you up here.” Neville smiled, then he reached up, grabbed her red hair and pulled. Sirius laughed, then he ran out of the room.

“Padfoot?” James called, “Where are you going?” when Sirius came back into the room he was holding a camera. “What’s that for?” James inquired with a laugh.

“For taking pictures, obviously. Have you never seen a camera before, Prongs?” 

James laughed, “That’s _my_ camera, of course I know what it does! I mean, what are you planning to take a picture of?”

“This, right here.” Sirius said solemnly, “I can’t remember the last time we were all smiling like this, and I want to remember it.” Then he spotted Remus and Hestia standing in the doorway watching them and he waved them over to stand with the others. 

So, with Lily and James next to one another, holding Neville and Harry respectively, Remus standing next to James, and Hestia standing a bit awkwardly next to Lily, Sirius took the picture. He then stretched his arm out to get his own face in the picture with them. James and Remus chuckled at his antics.

Almost immediately after the flash, a loud booming knock sounded at the door. Neville jumped in Lily’s arms as Sirius answered the door. It was Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, a member of the Order, and just about the largest man any of them had ever seen.

“Good evenin’ all, sorry to be be disturbin’ yeh like this, but I’ve got orders from Dumbledore to take lil Neville here to ‘is grandparents’ new house.”

“New house?” Lily questioned, “Where are Trevor and Augusta living now? Can Harry still come to visit Neville sometimes? They’ve really become such good friends and I’d hate to separate them like that.”

“I’m sorry Lily,” Hagrid said sorrowfully, “Bu’ it’s Dumbledore’s orders that Neville be outta the Wizarding World ‘til ‘e’s in Hogwarts.”

James stood up in protest, “Why would Dumbledore do something like that? He needs to be around his own people! What good will living around muggles do him?”

“Wish I could answer that for yeh James,” Hagrid professed, “But I’m jus’ followin’ the orders Professor Dumbledore gave me.”

“It’s for his protection.” Sirius interjected darkly, all traces of his previous humour and joy gone from him, “Voldemort might be gone, but that doesn’t mean this war is over,” he looked towards Hestia then back again, “His followers will be looking for revenge, my cousin Bellatrix especially… The less people who know his location, the better.”

Lily sighed, but she understood. She held Neville close to Harry and told them to say goodbye. Harry reached out his hand and pet Neville on his forehead, right where his scar was. Neville reached up, grabbed Harry’s hand and placed it gently into his mouth and sucked on his fingers. Harry giggled and Neville gave a shriek-like laugh, Harry’s hand falling out of his mouth. 

Harry leaned forward and encircled Neville’s head with his arms in what could almost be considered a hug. However, then Neville bumped his head into Harry’s which made Harry start to cry and the sweet and touching moment was over. Lily pulled Neville away, wrapped him in blankets to keep him warm on the journey, and brought him over to Hagrid, placing the child in his large hands. James then handed the crying Harry over to Lily to soothe him.

Remus inquired how Hagrid had gotten there, and when Hagrid said that he had flooed to an empty house in the next town and walked the rest of the way, Sirius shook his head and offered Hagrid his flying motorbike. Hagrid graciously accepted the offer and Sirius led him out the door. 

Once Hagrid walked out with Neville, Harry, who had calmed down, began to cry and scream, desperately trying to get out of Lily’s arms and head towards the door. When Hagrid came into view on Sirius’ motorbike, Lily brought Harry to the window and tried telling him to look, that Neville was right there, and it was okay. However, Harry was inconsolable, screaming and crying and writhing to get down. 

James walked over to them, he tried to cheer Harry up with tickles and silly faces, but it was no use. As Hagrid flew off into the distance, Lily said,

“I hope Neville will be okay… His life is going to be so hard now…”

“Don’t worry hun, he will be.” James reassured her. “Dumbledore is smart, smarter than all of us. Even if we don’t know exactly what he’s doing, he always does. We have to trust him.”

*

Meanwhile, in a little Muggle town a fair distance from the Potter’s home in Godric’s Hollow, Albus Dumbledore stood next to a rather severe-looking woman who wore square glasses, an emerald green cloak, and had her long black hair pulled up into a tight bun. McGonagall was the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts, and an anti-Voldemort spy for the Ministry, who would use her Animagus form as a tabby cat to spy on Voldemort’s supporters and deliver crucial information to the Aurors.

Dumbledore was explaining the current situation to her, which she seemed to find quite difficult to believe. 

“It’s-it’s _true_?” she faltered. “After all he’s done… all the people he’s killed… he couldn’t kill a little boy? It’s just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Neville survive?”

“We can only guess,” Dumbledore surmised, “We may never know.” McGonagall dabbed her eyes beneath her spectacles with a handkerchief and Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took out a very odd watch with moving planets instead of numbers, and twelve hands. “Hagrid’s late,” Dumbledore commented, “I suppose it was he who told you I’d be here?”

“Yes,” McGonagall affirmed. “Although what he did not tell me was why on earth Trevor and Augusta decided to move all the way out here so suddenly.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled from behind his half-moon spectacles. 

“Ah – yes, well upon my request, Neville and his grandparents will be taking some time… away from the Wizarding World.”

“Away from the Wizarding World?” McGonagall gaped, “This boy is going to be famous, a legend! There will be books written about him, every child in our world will know his name! And for that you’re going to just—just banish the whole family from Wizarding society??”

“Now, now, banish is a strong word. I merely suggested to them that it would be better for the boy. Think about it Minerva, famous before he can walk and talk? For something he won’t even remember? It would be enough to turn any boy’s head. Can’t you see how much better off he’ll be, growing up away from all that until he’s ready to take it?”

“I understand that Albus, I do, but what about Trevor and Augusta? You expect them to just uproot their whole lives? To just leave behind friends and family?” Dumbledore sighed and then declared,

“We all must make sacrifices for the greater good. I have already spoken to them both, and they are more than willing to do their part. He is their grandson after all, and they want what is best for him.”

“Yes – yes, you’re right, of course.” McGonagall conceded, “Well, how is the boy getting here, Albus?” she eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Neville underneath it.

“Hagrid’s bringing him,” Dumbledore answered.

“You think it – _wise_ – to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?”

“I would trust Hagrid with my life.” Dumbledore declared solemnly.

“I’m not saying his heart isn’t in the right place,” McGonagall muttered grudgingly, “But you can’t pretend he’s not careless. He does tend to – what was that?”

A low rumbling sound broke the silence around them as Hagrid rode Sirius’ motorbike through the air and then down into the street.

“Hagrid,” Dumbledore greeted, “At last. And where did you get that motorbike?”

“Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir,” he replied as he carefully climbed off the motorbike “Young Sirius Black lent it t’ me. I’ve got him, sir.”

“No problems were there?”

“No sir, just little Harry was a bit sad when he had ter say goodbye to ‘im.” Hagrid replied with a chuckle, “Little tyke fell asleep as we was flyin’ over Wiltshire.” he then handed the swaddled babe to Dumbledore. Under a thin tuft of dirty blond hair was the lightning shaped scar. 

McGonagall asked if Dumbledore could do something about it, but the man simply replied that even if he could, he wouldn’t, as scars can be very useful. After a tearful, and far too loud, farewell from Hagrid, Dumbledore laid Neville gently on the doorstep, cast a wandless spell over him to keep him warm, and tucked a letter inside the blankets addressed to Trevor and Augusta Longbottom. 

Hagrid then rode the motorbike back to the Potter’s house, McGonagall turned back into a cat and slunk away into the night, and Dumbledore clicked his Deluminator to return the lights of the darkened streetlamps to their proper place. 

“Good luck, Neville,” he murmured, then he turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.

The following morning when Augusta found her grandson laying on her doorstep, she wrote an angry letter to Dumbledore saying that he could have just knocked. 

*

A few weeks after the night of November 19th, the Potters came out of hiding, against the warnings from Sirius and Hestia who insisted that the war was not over yet. The Aurors were going mad trying to round up all of the Death Eaters; some of them were hiding, some were trying to flee the country, some were trying to rise up to fill Voldemort’s place. As people began coming forward claiming they had been under the influence of the Imperius Curse, it became increasingly difficult to tell who was lying and who was telling the truth. 

However, despite the continuing danger, they felt that they had been locked up for long enough. Afterall, the reason they had gone into hiding was because Voldemort was specifically targeting them. If Voldemort was no longer around, who were they hiding from? No one else in the Order was in hiding, so why should they be? It was time to get out of the house and start living their lives again. 

Hestia moved back home with her parents and the younger of her two older brothers, but Sirius and Remus opted to continue living with the Potters a bit longer. James had allowed Sirius to continue living in his parents’ old home after they passed away, so long as he agreed to maintain the place and take care of it. Remus had been living in a small, shabby apartment which James was paying for with his family’s fortune, as Remus had not been able to find a job due to his lycanthropy.

Both felt that if they were relying on James anyway, then they might as well stay with him and help out. Remus was also thankful that James would no longer have to pay for his living arrangements, meager as they were (he would not allow James to pay for a nicer apartment for him). Lily and James accepted Moody’s offer to become Aurors soon afterwards and began their training, with Sirius and Remus taking care of Harry while they were away. 

Hestia would visit often, as after what they had been through together, she had become their friend. She was especially close with Sirius, who would often ask her to come over, saying she was much better at caring for a baby than they were. Remus and James would laugh, knowing what was really going on, but Lily thought it was very sweet. 

However, Hestia’s prediction, that even if Voldemort was defeated the war would still not be over, came true in a way they could never have imagined. It was a Saturday afternoon, it was Remus’ turn to put Harry down for a nap. Lily, James and Sirius were in the kitchen attempting to make one of James’ mother’s favourite cake recipes. Lily was about to scold James for throwing an egg at Sirius when they each collapsed to the floor, convulsing with pain. 

Before they could recover, they were tied up in their own kitchen chairs facing their attackers. Four Death Eaters had silently broken into their home: Sirius’s cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus, his brother Rabastan, and surprisingly, young Barty Crouch Jr., son of the aspiring Minister for Magic, Barty Crouch Sr. The Death Eaters tied them up and began to torture them with the Cruciatus Curse, demanding to know where Voldemort was. 

Of course, they didn’t know where he was, and even if they did, they certainly wouldn’t tell them. Sirius spit in his cousin’s face, and they tortured them more. The silencing charms around Harry’s bedroom prevented Remus from hearing what was going on until it was too late. Once Harry was asleep, Remus opened the door to be met with the sound of screaming. The first thing Remus did was send his patronus to Alastor Moody asking for help, then he rushed downstairs and attempted to fight off the four Death Eaters. 

He too was overwhelmed by their numbers and was soon tied to a chair alongside his friends, who looked as though they were about to pass out. Pain coursed through each of them as each Death Eater picked one of them to consistently torture and interrogate. They had each been under the Cruciatus Curse multiple times throughout the war, but never like this. 

Seconds felt like hours, minutes felt like days. They forgot where they were, they even began to forget who they were. What were they doing here? All they knew was pain. Pain broken up by shouting and questions, which no longer sounded like a language they could understand, and then more pain. They would have wished for death, if they could remember what that was. 

Then the pain was gone, but their bodies were still on fire, their minds were still lost. Everything inside them continued to burn, searing away at who they were. There was more shouting, but different this time, a new voice, but they still could not understand what was being said. They jerked and twitched in pain as they were moved and carried. They tried to protest, not even understanding why or what they were doing. At last, sweet darkness took them away and the pain finally stopped. 

*

Sirius was the first to wake up. He felt dazed, like he was living in a dream. A man with a crazy electric blue eye and a normal brown one approached him and began speaking to him in a language he could not understand. Sirius knew that he knew this man, but he just couldn’t remember how. 

The Potters were in a similar state when they awoke, however as Remus had not been tortured for as long as they were, he awoke a bit shaken, but otherwise fine. Hestia came to visit Sirius and the Potters every day with little Harry while they were in St. Mungos. Little by little as the days passed, their senses and memories came back to them. A whole team of healers worked individually on each of them everyday to help them to recover. Lily’s team of healers was twice as large as James’ and Sirius’. 

After a little over a fortnight, all three of them had returned to their normal selves, all memories retained, and motor functions only slightly still impaired. It was at this point when the healers felt it was time to tell them of the worst news of all. The healers sat down with Lily and James and told them that Lily was pregnant, and she had been during the attack. The child was still alive but she would retain permanent damage to her nervous system from the extended exposure to the Cruciatus Curse. 

When Lily tearfully demanded what that meant, the healers told them that for the rest of her life she would experience random uncontrollable seizures with effects similar to the Cruciatus Curse. Lily cried for the rest of that day and into the night, plagued with guilt for dropping their protections too soon and cursing her baby daughter to a life of torture and pain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was certainly a very heavy ending. The beginning was very happy, but the ending, not so much. I felt that it would be disrespectful to Neville's parents in the original series to not depict just how horrifying what they went through was. It would be unfair for the Potters to come out of that situation completely unscathed while they were left the way they were. There had to be some sort of consequence, as upsetting as it was for me to write.
> 
> Don't worry, it does get better from here. The really heavy stuff is done for the time being. I hope you'll come back for the next chapter next week as we look at how differently Harry and Neville grow up in their new circumstances!
> 
> Please leave a comment to let me know what you think.


	4. A Decade in Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes through how different Harry and Neville's upbringings were in this new reality. An entire decade condensed into one chapter, and finally culminating in recieving their Hogwarts acceptance letters.

For the next ten years, the two boys of the prophecy led very different lives. Harry was homeschooled by his mother, as was the way of educating young witches and wizards until they are old enough to attend Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Neville attended a Muggle primary school from the age of 5 until he was 10, as per Dumbledore’s orders.

Neville’s grandparents ran a muggle business, selling flowers as well as clothing and knick knacks made from knitting, sewing and crocheting. Trevor handled the money and the business aspect of things, while Augusta tended the gardens and created the clothing and knickknacks (often using magic so she could make many of them all at once).

Harry’s father finished his Auror training with top scores in everything and then began work as an Auror under Alastor Moody to provide for his now growing family. While James had inherited a fortune from his parents that could enable him to never work a day in his life, he wanted to add to it for his children to inherit, not to bleed their vault dry. Lily stayed at home with Harry while she was pregnant and for a year after her daughter was born, then she went back to her Auror training and worked as an Auror part time alongside her husband.

Neville grew up as an only child, never truly knowing any of the rest of his family or anyone else from the Wizarding World. He would occasionally see witches and wizards out in the world, but he was never allowed to go anywhere without one of his grandparents, and they always hurried him away from them whenever they tried to speak to him. Neville didn’t understand why, his grandparents always spoke so fondly of the wizarding world, and told him stories about Hogwarts and that he would one day get to go there, so he didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to talk to other witches and wizards.

Harry had one sister, Violet Lillian Potter, born July 7th 1982. She looked just like their mother, having long red hair and the same nose, but she had their father’s hazel eyes. The siblings would often joke about how they were opposites, and they would point out other characteristics in each other that were similar to their parents to continue the joke. Harry wore glasses like Dad, Violet had a birthmark on her inner thigh like Mum, Violet was a prankster like Dad, Harry had a fiery temper like Mum, Harry loved Quidditch like Dad, Lily loved Potions like Mum, and on and on it went.

  
  


Unfortunately, Violet’s condition often got in the way of their fun. Due to prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse so early in prenatal development, Violet would have excruciatingly painful seizures at random. Everyone always had to watch out for her, so she wouldn’t get hurt or fall from a great height while seizing. Despite how much Violet wanted to fly on a broomstick like her father and brother, it was not safe for her to do so.

Harry became very protective of his little sister, especially when other wizarding children would try to tease her. He got particularly angry when during a get together with the Weasleys when he was four, the twins Fred and George had tried to pull a prank on her while she was seizing (they wanted to get her back for gluing their legs together under the table during dinner). That was the first time Harry presented Accidental Magic. Neither of the twins could sit for a week.

The only times Neville had ever met anyone from his family was when they attended funerals. He attended one when he was four for his Gran’s brother Elphinstone, and one when he was six for his Grandpa’s brother Algie who had died from contracting spattergroit, a magical illness caused by a fungus. The disease caused purple pustules to form on the skin, then in the throat preventing the wizard from talking, in later stages the pustules begin to block the wizard’s airway which leads to a slow suffocation.

Neville was terrified when one of the older children at the funeral described this to him, but his Grandad reassured him that this was a wizarding illness, and they had no chance of getting it while living in the muggle world. Although the strangest thing at the funerals was that all the adults there looked at him strangely and whispered as he passed by. They all quickly stopped after a stern look from his Gran, but that didn’t stop Neville from wondering why.

Harry was very close with his Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus and he had a lot of respect for his Uncle Severus. They weren’t really his uncles, but Sirius and Remus were his Dad’s best friends and Severus was his Mum’s best friend so he always called them all uncle. Harry’s Dad and Uncle Sirius really didn’t like Uncle Severus and they always told Harry to stay away from him. Harry eventually figured out from eavesdropping on his parents that it was because Uncle Severus had wanted to marry his Mum, but he started using Dark Magic and following Voldemort, so his Mum picked his Dad.

However, when Voldemort wanted to kill his parents Uncle Severus became a good guy and helped them so they would be safe. He was a spy and he helped everybody, but still nobody liked him. After the famous Neville Longbottom defeated Voldemort when he was a baby, his Mum and Uncle Severus started to be friends again. They were such good friends that even though his Dad still didn’t like Uncle Severus, he was his sister Violet’s Godfather (and Aunt Hestia was her Godmother).

Neville had some acquaintances at school, but not anyone that he was particularly close to. He wasn’t allowed to invite anyone from school over to his house because there were too many magical things there, and he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere except school without one of his grandparents present, so he was never able to get very close to anyone. Neville often felt quite lonely, in part because he didn’t have any close friends, but also because he felt so different than everyone around him.

There were so many things that he knew about that he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. So many things that he was excited for in his future that he wasn’t allowed to share. When everyone in class would be talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up, he was never able to tell them what he wanted to be. What Neville wanted to be when he grew up was the greatest wizard ever, just like his Gran always told him he would be. Neville really looked up to his Grandad and he thought that he was the greatest wizard ever, and he wanted to be just like him.

Harry had only one real first cousin, but he had never met him. Harry’s Mum tried to visit Aunt Petunia and her family by herself once a year around her sister’s birthday. Every time she went she always came back miserable and would yell about how her children would never meet their spoiled rotten son. On his father’s side, Harry didn’t have any first cousins but he had a lot of second cousins, and second cousins once removed. Harry didn’t see them very often, but once a year or so there would be a party with their extended family and even though Harry and Violet found them very boring, their parents always insisted that they should go.

James had two cousins from his father Fleamont’s younger brother Richard, their names were Margeret Puckle and Charlus Potter. They were much older than James, and their children (Henrietta Peaks and Richard Puckle from Margaret, and Emily Hooper from Charlus), were more around his age. The children of those families were around Harry and Violet’s age (Sean and Jimmy Peaks, Annabeth, Aurelia and Stephen Puckle, and Geoffrey and Heather Hooper), but none of them seemed too thrilled to be at those parties either and they never became very close.

While Harry was not very close with any of his real cousins, Uncle Sirius and Aunt Hestia had two sons that were sort of like cousins to him, and he was much closer with them because he saw them so often. Alphard Epimetheus Black, who was two years younger than Harry and the same age as Violet, born August 27th 1982, and Fleamont Sirius Black who was born January 3rd 1986 when Harry was six years old. Alphard, or Al as everyone called him, was Harry’s best friend throughout his childhood. They did everything together (while Violet often tagged along), and their fathers encouraged their friendship as much as they could.

Neville knew that while he didn’t have first or second cousins on his father’s side, he had many third cousins, even though he had never met them. His grandparents loved to tell him about their family, showing him moving photo albums and family trees, and they would often receive owls with new family pictures. They seemed like they really missed them, so Neville didn’t know why they never saw them.

Both of his grandparent's siblings died without having any children, but both of his Grandad’s parents had siblings who had extensive families of their own. Neville's Great-Grandfather Harfang Longbottom had a brother named Algernon and a sister named Madelyn. Algernon had two children, Gulliver and Peregrine. Gulliver never married, but Peregrine married Ernest Prang and had two daughters who were now married; Irmina Hilliard and Dorothy Williams. Irmina had one son named Robert, and Dorothy had two children named Alexander and Dora. Madelyn married a man named Terrence Diggory, and they had a son named Amos, who had a son just a little older than Neville named Cedric.

Meanwhile, Neville's Great-Grandmother Calidora Longbottom had two sisters, Cedrella Weasley and Charis Crouch. Cedrella had three sons, Artemus, Arthur and Bilius. Only the middle son Arthur had children, but he had so many children that despite how many times his grandfather had showed him the family tree, he could never remember all of their names. He only remembered that there was a set of twins, only one girl and they all had flaming red hair. Charis had a daughter named Charlotte and a son named Bartemius. Charlotte never married, but Bartemius did and had a son he named after himself.

Whenever his grandparents talked about politics they always lamented over how Bartemius had almost become Minister for Magic. They believed that he would have been much better than Millicent Bagnold who won the election, maintaining her position, which she then kept for another 8 more years. Bartemius had garnered a lot of support from the Wizarding community during his campaign, but after his son was arrested and he himself sent him to prison with no remorse as an attempt to save face, he lost any and all support he had. Many believed that his son turned out the way he did because he was a terrible father.

Harry’s Mum was loving, caring and compassionate and she taught him right from wrong, but when he did something wrong, she was really scary. She was a great teacher who taught him English, Math, Science and both muggle and magical History. She taught him how to harness his accidental magic to do simple things like slow a fall or cause a flower to bloom in his hand. She and Uncle Severus taught him how to make simple potions, which he was really terrible at at first, but then Uncle Severus taught him some tricks and really explained what the different ingredients are supposed to do, and he became a lot better.

Neville’s Gran was a strict, harsh woman who loved to reminisce on the past and speak about greatness. She told him how great his parents were, how they had died fighting evil and saving him. She said that because they were so great that she was certain that he would be great as well. The things that Neville’s Gran hated the most were laziness and clumsiness. Neville was not a lazy boy by any means, once he was old enough to help out, he began to help his Gran to tend the garden where they grew the flowers to sell in their shop. Neville loved plants, he loved to watch them grow and become something beautiful. Whenever he was feeling particularly lonely, he would go out into the garden and talk to the plants.

However, Neville was very clumsy. He often tripped over his own feet, knocked things over, forgot things and always somehow managed to find himself in the most ridiculous of situations. While his Grandad would often have a good laugh about it, his Gran would lecture and scold him for what felt like hours on end, but he just couldn’t help it. He was clumsy, and there didn’t seem to be any helping it.

Harry’s Dad was usually really fun, he loved pulling pranks, spending time with his friends and playing Quidditch. Harry loved Quidditch and riding brooms, he loved the feeling of the wind in his hair and the rush it would give him, and most of all, he loved that it was something he could do with his Dad. Uncle Sirius had bought Harry a child’s broomstick when he was only 1 year old, and he rode on it every day until he was so big for it that his feet dragged along the ground. When Harry was eight years old, his dad bought him a real broomstick, a Cleansweep 7, which was the newest and fastest model of broomstick that had come out just that year. After he gave him the broom, he taught Harry how to really play Quidditch and told him stories about when he had played as a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.

However, Harry’s Dad knew when to be serious. He was a full time Auror, a Dark Wizard Catcher. There was one time when Harry was seven and Violet was five that one of the Dark Wizards that Harry’s Dad had been chasing kidnapped Harry and his sister and held them for ransom. Harry did his very best to protect Violet, and anytime the Dark Wizard or any of his cronies tried to touch her, his magic would shock them. However, it took Harry’s Dad coming to save them for them to get away.

Harry had never seen his father look so serious and angry before. He fought all five of their kidnappers by himself and almost killed the leader. He was really strong, really tough, and really good at magic. Harry thought his Dad was the most amazing person in the world.

Neville’s Grandad was a jovial, good natured and very patient man. He was the only one that could stand up to his Gran and not be told off for it. He would wait patiently for her to finish her rant, and then all he had to say were a few simple words and all her gusto would fade and she would begin another rant acting as though she had agreed with him the entire time. His Grandad was Neville’s favourite person, he really looked up to him a lot and he wanted to be just like him when he got older.

While his Gran would often scold him a lot, his Grandad was very kind to him and patient with him, he let Neville go on about his plants and he would really listen to him. He encouraged Neville a lot and made him feel good about himself. When his Gran started to get worried that he was a Squib because he was eight years old and hadn’t presented any accidental magic yet, his Grandad said there was nothing to worry about. He said that Neville’s magic was probably just resting, building itself up and it would be spectacular when it finally did come out.

He was right, when Neville had just turned nine years old, a terrible storm came through and wiped out their entire garden. Neville and his Gran were devastated, and as Neville cried over the flowers, they all began to spring back to life, coming into full bloom and there were more of them and the colours were even brighter than they had ever been before. Neville’s Grandfather was so proud of him that he bought him an orange and white british short-haired kitten.

“I would have bought you an owl or a toad,” he said chuckling, “But cats are the only animals allowed in Hogwarts that they sell in muggle pet shops.” Neville named his cat Marigold after the orange flowers that they grew in their garden. She became his best friend and he did everything with her.

A few months after Neville received Marigold he heard screaming coming from their garden.

“Help me! No, please! Let me go!!” the voice screamed. Panicking and scared of what he would find, Neville ran towards their garden. When he got there, there wasn’t anyone there, just Marigold pawing something in the grass. The screaming continued however, and seemed to be coming from where Marigold was. To his surprise, he realized that the screaming was coming from a small garden snake that Marigold had pinned to the ground and was pawing at. Neville took the snake away from her and ran inside to show the talking snake to his Grandad.

It must be a magical snake, Neville thought to himself as the snake in his hands thanked him for saving him from “that monster”. However, when Neville told his Grandad that he had found a magical talking snake, his grandfather told him there was no such thing and that he couldn’t hear it speaking. Neville was confused,

“But I can hear it talking,” Neville said, “Like right now it’s saying that it wants to go back outside, but it doesn’t want to be attacked by Marigold again.” Neville turned to the snake and said, “It’s okay, I’ll bring you to the park, Marigold wouldn’t be able to find you there.”

Trevor's eyes widened in shock, for what he heard from his grandson’s mouth were not words but snake-like hisses. He then looked at his young grandson very seriously and said,

“Neville, it is not the snake that is magical, but you. The ability to talk to snakes is called Parseltongue, because you can speak this you are called a Parselmouth. But you must promise me Neville, that you will never tell anyone you can do this, especially not your Gran.”

“But why?” Neville asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” said his Grandad, “But many witches and wizards believe that Parseltongue is dark magic and that it’s a sign of a dark wizard to be able to speak it.”

“Am I a dark wizard?” Neville asked fearfully. His Gran always said that Dark Wizards were the worst sort of people. A dark wizard had killed his parents. His Grandad put a hand on his shoulder and said,

“No Neville, you are not a dark wizard, but many people will think you are if you tell them you can do this, so you must promise me that you will never tell anyone.”

“I promise.” Neville said, and he meant it. But he did not forget his Grandad’s words, and he tried to always be very good to prove to himself that he was not a Dark Wizard. He couldn’t be, could he?

For all the differences between these two boys there was one thing they both had in common; they were both really looking forward to being able to go to Hogwarts. So when their acceptance letters arrived to them by owl, they were both absolutely overjoyed.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

  


_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorce., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

  


_Dear Mr Potter,_

  


_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

  


_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

  


_Yours sincerely,_

  


_Minerva McGonagall_

  


_Deputy Headmistress_  
  
---  
  
Harry stared at the emerald green text, reading the words he had been waiting, longing to hear his entire life; he would be going to Hogwarts!

Without even looking at the second piece of parchment, he ran through the house, up the stairs and threw open his parents’ bedroom door.

“Mum! Dad!” he yelled, “Wake up!” His mother groggily sat up while his father pulled the covers up over his head.

“Harry, it’s too early for this,” his mother muttered with a yawn, “Why are you waking us up?”

“I got my letter!” Harry shouted, nearly vibrating with excitement. James immediately leapt to his feet, picked Harry up and started spinning him around, almost hitting 9 year old Violet in the face, who had gotten out of bed to see what was going on. James put Harry down and apologized to his daughter, then he turned to his wife, bouncing on his feet and asked if they could go to Diagon Alley today. Lily laughed at her husband who seemed nearly as excited as Harry was.

“Well if we go today, you won’t be able to come with us.” James deflated slightly,

“Why not?”

“You have work today, did you forget about that?” James chuckled, clearly he had. “How about we go on Saturday, when it’s your day off?” She suggested.

James and Harry both eagerly agreed.

“Can we visit Uncle Sirius’ shop too??” Harry asked excitedly. His mother thought about it for a moment and then said,

“Alright, but just this once. And you are not allowed to touch anything, do you understand? It’s dangerous in there.”

“I promise!”

*

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorce., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr Longbottom,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Neville’s hands began to tremble as he read his letter. There had still been a part of him that was afraid he wouldn’t get it; afraid that he wasn’t quite magical enough to go to Hogwarts. His eyes began to well up with tears, the world his grandparents had always told him about, that he had always dreamed about, he would finally get to be a part of it. 

Marigold purred as she rubbed her face against his legs. He sat down and let her sit in his lap as he flipped to the second page of the letter:

_UNIFORM_

_First-year students will require:_

  * _Three plain work robes (black)_


  * _One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_


  * _One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_


  * _One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_



_Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags_

_SET BOOKS_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

  * The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk


  * A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot


  * Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling


  * A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch


  * One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore


  * Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger


  * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander


  * The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble 



_OTHER EQUIPMENT_

  * _1 wand_


  * _1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_


  * _1 set glass or crystal phials_


  * _1 telescope_


  * _1 set brass scales_



_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

“Are you ready to go to Hogwarts, Marigold?” Neville whispered as he marvelled at the sort of things he would be getting. He hadn’t even thought about books or a cauldron or a wand, although he supposed it made sense. You can’t attend a magical school without magical textbooks and things to do magic with.

He heard footsteps in the hall and turned around to see his Gran in the hallway.

“I got my Hogwarts letter,” He beamed as he showed her the parchment. Her usually stern face broke into a wide grin, before she said,

“Come with me, I have something for you.” Neville tried to get up but slipped and fell before getting back up again. He sighed in relief that his Gran was already halfway down the hall and hadn’t seen.

He followed her through the house then up a ladder into the attic where she walked up to him with a long wooden box in her hands. She opened it to reveal a long and very shiny wand.

“This was your father’s before he died,” she declared, “And I want you to have it.”

“Me?” Neville gasped.

“Yes, your father was a powerful wizard and this wand served him well. I am sure that it will serve you just as well—”

“No Augusta,” objected a voice from behind, it was Trevor. “Neville will be getting his own wand from Ollivanders.”

“But this belonged to his father!” Augusta protested, “This was our son’s wand, and you know how magnificently our son used this wand, the sort of magic he could produce with it! Since Dumbledore returned it to us all it has been doing is collecting dust up here in this attic. Such a great wand deserves to be used again by a great wizard, which I am sure that Neville will be! Neville deserves a great wand, and this here is a great wand. Not to mention the sentimental value this wand will hold for him, Trevor. The boy never truly got to meet his father, don’t you think he would like to be able to carry a piece of him with him??”

Trevor waited patiently for Augusta to finish her rant, then he countered,

“The wand chooses the wizard, Augusta. However great a wand this is, it has not chosen Neville. He will not be able to achieve any measure of greatness by using someone else’s wand.” Augusta deflated, then put the box down and began again,

“Of course, just as I was going to say next, we have to see if the wand chooses him! And the only way to know that is to see Ollivander, and if not then Neville will get an even stronger wand! He will become an even stronger wizard than even his father before him!”

She continued to ramble on as she climbed down the ladder and walked away. Once she was out of earshot, Neville and his Grandfather began to laugh.

“What a woman you Gran is,” his Grandad chortled as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. “But before our trip to Diagon Alley, which we will most likely take this Sunday when the shop is closed, there is something very important that I must tell you.”

“What is it?” Neville asked as he scrambled to follow his grandfather to the living room.

“The truth, Neville.” He answered cryptically, “Have you ever wondered why we live here in the muggle world? Why we never see our families? Why we don’t let you go anywhere on your own?” Neville nodded frantically as he sat down. His heart was racing as he gripped the edge of his seat.

“It’s a long story Neville, but it all began eleven years ago, before you were even born…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)
> 
> Please leave a comment below expressing your thoughts, feelings, constructive criticisms or theories about what will happen next! 
> 
> How do you think the events depicted in this chapter will change what is to come?
> 
> What will Hogwarts be like for these boys?
> 
> How will Neville react to the revelation his Grandad is about to give him?


	5. Magical Motors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter depicts Neville's response to learning the truth and Harry's trip to Diagon Alley (for those of you who may have misunderstood, Harry and Neville will be going on different days, Harry on the Saturday and Neville on the Sunday, Neville's trip will be depicted next chapter). It also provides the explanation as to why the Potters know the Weasleys despite the age gap between the parents, shows what Sirius and Remus have been doing career-wise for the last 10 years, and lets you get to know Violet Potter and Alphard Black a bit better. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Neville sat in stunned silence as his Grandad told him the story of his own life, a story he had never heard before. The dark wizard who had killed his parents was the most powerful and feared wizard in history, with a name his Grandfather would only say once: Voldemort. This man had wanted to kill him when he was a baby, for reasons nobody understood, and his parents had gone into hiding to keep him safe. However, they were eventually found and they died protecting him. His Grandad told him,

“There must have been something very special about you, Neville, for when he turned his wand on you to kill you as well, not only did you live, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was destroyed. As was your parent’s house. This is why your Gran and I have never had any doubt that you will be a great wizard. However, many other people in the wizarding world believe this too. 

“Some people are angry with you for destroying You-Know-Who and would want to hurt you. Some people believe that you must be very dangerous and they would want to lock you away. But most people are so happy that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone that they have turned you into a legend. They call you “The Boy Who Lived” and everyone knows who you are, you’re famous.” 

Neville couldn’t find the words to respond, even though a million questions were racing through his mind. How could he be a legend? How could he be famous? How could he have _destroyed_ someone, that sounded just terrible. Why didn’t he know any of this? If everyone really knew who he was, then surely someone would have recognized him and told him at some point. None of this made any sense... and yet, in a way it did. This explained why he couldn’t go anywhere without his grandparents and why everyone at the funerals had whispered and pointed at him. 

Trevor waited a moment for Neville to respond, but when he didn’t he decided to continue,

“This is why we live in the Muggle World Neville, to keep you safe from those who might want to hurt you. And to shield you from the fame, the looks, the pointing and the whispering that waits for you in the Wizarding World. We kept you away from it all and tried to give you a normal childhood, but now you will be going to Hogwarts and we cannot protect you anymore. Now you must know the truth.”

Neville nodded slowly, staring at the wall. He didn’t know how to feel about all of this, or how he _should_ be feeling about it. He felt a bit like he was going to be sick. Should he be upset at his grandparents for keeping such huge secrets from him? Or thankful that they gave up their lives to protect him? Should he be glad that he was famous and everyone already knew who he was? Or frightened by it? 

Was he a burden to his grandparents? Did they resent him? They had not seen their families in years because of him. Both of their brothers died while they were gone, they never got to say goodbye, all because of him... Should he resent his grandparents? Was his only value to them his “greatness”? His Gran always talked about how great she knew he would be, but now he knew that it was because of something he didn’t even remember doing when he was a baby. Was he really dangerous? He could talk to snakes… Maybe he _should_ be locked up. 

What was Hogwarts going to be like? Everyone else already knew who he was and he didn’t know any of them. He wanted to make real friends, to meet other children that were just like him that he could talk to about magic, but would anyone really want to be his friend? What if _everyone_ wanted to be his friend just because he was famous, like those celebrities on the tele? Everyone had such grand expectations of him, what if he wasn’t good enough? What if he was a disappointment? What if this was all a big mix-up, and it was really some other boy that had destroyed Voldemort and they had just confused him for them?

“Neville?” his Grandad snapped him back to reality, and as he did, all of the couch pillows landed on his head and the coffee table crashed to the ground, everything on it bouncing off onto the floor. 

“Sorry!” Neville yelped, jumping to the ground to pick up the fallen, books, pens and the shattered remains of a now broken teacup and saucer. “Was that me?” his Grandad nodded as he repaired the broken teacup.

“Neville, I know this must be very hard for you to hear right now, I understand that. And I want you to know that everything your Gran and I ever did, we did it because we love you and we want to protect you--”

“Stop,” Neville mumbled, flinching as he said it. He wouldn't usually interrupt his grandparents, but he just couldn’t stand to hear one of his Grandad’s speeches right now. He didn’t want to hear how much they loved and cared for him and how much they had given up for him. Not now, not when he felt so confused. “I just -- I just want to be alone right now.” he put the books and pens back on the coffee table and ran to his room where Marigold was already on his bed waiting for him. 

Neville laid down flat on his bed with his head in his pillow, and as Marigold curled up next to him, he began to cry, and he didn’t even fully understand why. 

*

Harry woke bright and early Saturday morning, his heart racing with excitement. This was it! Today he would be going to Diagon Alley. He would finally get his own wand and begin his journey towards becoming a real wizard. He jumped out of bed, threw on his robes, ran to his parent’s bedroom and was about to throw the door open when he thought better of it. They had not appreciated being woken up so early on Wednesday, so instead he went to the next room over and jumped onto his sister Violet’s bed.

“Violet!” he said, bouncing on the end of her bed, narrowly dodging a pillow she threw at him.

“Well at least when you’re gone off to Hogwarts I’ll be able to get more sleep!” she grumbled, but Harry just laughed,

“Oh come on, you know you’ll miss me.” he teased, Violet stuck her tongue out and tackled him, but then her body began to shake violently. Harry held her tightly and waited for it to subside. Once it did, he wiped away her tears and sat with her in silence until she was ready. 

The Potter children spent the next couple hours playing Gobstones in the living room, talking about Hogwarts and their upcoming trip to Diagon Alley.

“I still can’t believe Mum agreed to let us visit Uncle Sirius’ shop!” Violet exclaimed, “She _never_ lets us go in there!” Harry nodded in agreement as he threw his stones. 

“Me too, I really thought she would say no when I asked.”

Violet laughed, as she tossed her stones and then ducked for cover, but nothing happened. “It’s really not fair that we never get to go in,” she complained, “It’s really not all that dangerous. Al and Monty get to go in there all the time, and Monty’s only five!”

“Because Alphard and Fleamont are Sirius’ sons,” their mother said from behind them, “It is his decision whether to allow them in or not. But you two are my children, so you follow _my_ rules.” Violet and Harry rolled their eyes where their mother couldn’t see, but voiced their affirmation to her. 

“Can we go now?” Harry implored, forgetting about the game of Gobstones behind him. 

“Not just yet,” she replied, Harry and Violet groaned, “We have to wait for Hestia to bring the boys over.”

“Al’s coming with us??” Harry exclaimed.

After the Potters had finished their breakfast, a very pregnant Aunt Hestia, Alphard and Fleamont arrived at their home in Godric’s Hollow through the Floo Network. As soon as Harry saw Al, he ran forward and hugged him (and was told off by his mother for almost knocking Aunt Hestia over). Despite being two years younger than Harry, he was nearly the same height as him. The adults insisted that Al was just tall, but Harry knew he was short, even Violet came up to his eyebrows. Al had shaggy black hair, striking grey eyes and an air of casual elegance, all of which he had inherited from his father. 

Little Monty was a very small, thin boy with neat black hair and brown eyes like his mother. Unlike Al who was very outgoing and adventurous, always willing to join Harry in whatever crazy things he wanted to do that day, Monty was very shy. He was always hiding behind his mother and he mostly kept to himself. Monty was never interested in the games that Harry and Al would play, but he would sometimes spend time with Violet and had more than once become an unwilling accomplice to her pranks. 

After the Potters finished getting themselves ready, all seven of them Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and then set off down Diagon Alley, heading towards their first stop: Gringotts. 

“I can’t believe you’re going to Hogwarts without me.” Al accused as they walked a few feet behind their parents. Harry laughed,

“Yep, and I’m going to discover all of Hogwart’s secrets before you even get there, you’ll really have to catch up.” Al punched him on the arm and then smiled. 

“I don’t suppose you’ll save a few secrets for your third year, will you?” 

“Hmm,” Harry considered, “Maybe one or two. But you know, I think--” but Al never got to hear what Harry thought as he had promptly walked into his father who had stopped walking. They had arrived at Gringotts Bank. 

Harry had been to the bank with his parents many times, but he was always amazed at the sheer size of it. Not the outside of it, although that was a sight in and of itself as well, but the inside. Beneath that snow-white marble building there were miles and miles of complex stone tunnels and passageways, connected by miniature train tracks that allowed magical goblin carts to traverse the expanse. 

Harry’s family’s vault was number 494, while Uncle Sirius had two vaults, one that belonged to his family that he never went to even though he owned it (number 645), and his own vault, number 711. So when Harry’s father told the goblins who ran the bank that they wanted to go to vault 687, he was very confused. On the cart ride over, he asked,

“Why aren’t we going to the Potter vault? Number 494?” His father smiled widely and replied, 

“Because we’re going to your vault, Harry.” 

“My vault?” Harry sputtered. His parents explained to him that since before he was born they had been putting a little bit of gold from the Potter vault into a separate vault once a month every month and allowing it to build interest for eleven years. Violet had a vault like this as well, number 515. The vault was not able to be touched until the eleven years were up, which had been completed a few months ago. When they got to the vault they gave Harry the key, inscribed on its head was:

Harry James Potter

687

Harry smiled in wonder, glancing back at his parents, and after his mother nodded, he put the key in the lock and opened his vault. Harry was amazed, before his eyes was a small fortune. It was of course not nearly as much as what was in the Potter vault (he could walk right into that vault and walk around, every wall was lined with Gold Galleons, with many other mounds scattered about containing Silver Sickles, Bronze Knuts, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, heliodors and diamonds). However, this vault, with its small fortune, was all his, and for an almost eleven-year-old boy, that was a lot of gold. 

“Now you can’t just spend this gold on whatever you want,” his mother said, snapping him out of the trance he had fallen into while staring into _his_ vault. “This gold is to be used mainly for school supplies, and you will get to bring a little with you to Hogwarts to spend on the train; going _both_ ways, so if you spend it all on the first trip, you won’t have any coming back home. You’ll get to bring a little more starting in your third year when you’re allowed to visit Hogsmeade. 

“Whatever you have left at the end of your schooling is yours to use however you want, although I would suggest using it for something important like training for a job, starting up a business or a downpayment for a house, although it may not be enough for that by then, unless you get yourself a summer job.” Harry’s mother took back the key and gave Harry a small bag to fill with gold. She told him he was allowed to fill the bag to the top and that was his money for the year. 

As they were leaving Al asked his mother if he had a vault like that, and when she said no he grumbled all the way to their next stop: _Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions_. 

When they walked in, Madam Malkin assumed that both Harry and Al would be going to Hogwarts, which just made Al even grumpier. She then took Harry to the back of the store to be fitted. Hestia and Lily stayed near the front of the store with the other three children, but when their mothers began fawning over the little baby robes, Violet and Al followed Harry to the back of the store. 

There was another boy standing on a footstool next to Harry’s but he seemed to be a lot older than any of them and paid them no mind. Al and Violet watched as another witch pinned a black robe Harry was wearing to the right length. They whispered comments to each other snickering about Harry’s height and saying that the witch would have to cut half the robe off to fit Harry.

“I can hear you,” Harry interjected, giving them a glare, “And you know I’m still taller than both of you!”

“Not for long,” Al quipped and Violet began to laugh until it was cut short by another episode of her seizing. 

Harry tried to step down off the stool but the witch told him not to move, until the boy on the other stool yelled,

“What’s _wrong_ with her??” The witch turned around and screamed as Al held her close and tried to keep her from moving.

“She has a condition!” Harry yelled, “Instead of screaming go get her some water or something!” 

The witch quickly hurried away, and Harry wiped tears of frustration from his eyes. This was normal for them, why did no one understand? Screaming wasn’t going to help anything. 

Lily and Hestia came to the back of the store after hearing the commotion, Hestia told Al that he had done a very good job while Lily took Violet from him. 

Violet took small sips from her water as Harry finished getting fitted. Once he had his robes and they were on their way out, Violet hung back for an extra minute, took a water damaged postcard out from her pocket, placed it on top of her glass of water, turned it upside down on the floor and then removed the postcard. Harry and Al laughed behind their hands as they left the shop, knowing exactly what would happen when someone tried to pick up that cup.

Next was _Flourish and Blotts_ , the bookstore where Harry would get all of his school books. Lily wouldn’t let him get _Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, much more)_ , even though James said it would be “good for him”. But she gave in when he asked for the newest edition of _Quidditch Through the Ages_. His copy of the book had been so thoroughly read that the covers were falling off.

“It’s your money,” she conceded, “You just might not have any left for sweets at the end of the year.”

_Potage’s Cauldron Shop_ was next. Harry asked if he could buy a beautiful gold cauldron, but once again his mum told him no.

“Gold cauldrons are only used for certain potions,” she objected, “It would ruin most of the potions you’ll be making in school. Besides that, Uncle Severus has said he wants you to have a pewter cauldron, I don’t think he would be very happy if you turned up with something else.” 

Harry had almost forgotten that Uncle Severus would be teaching him Potions class at Hogwarts. He smiled as he paid for his pewter cauldron while his father muttered bitterly about “Snivellus” being a teacher. 

At _Hebe’s and Bliteus’ Parchment and Ink_ he got to pick out his own quills and they walked away with so much parchment, scrolls and ink bottles that Al was convinced Harry was going to literally drown in his homework. 

The adults debated whether to go to _Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment_ or _Slug and Jigger’s Apothecary_ for Harry’s potion vials, but in the end decided on the former, as they needed to go there to get his telescope, brass scales and protective gloves anyway.

“Can we go to Uncle Sirius’ shop now?” Harry pleaded as they left the fifth shop. James laughed,

“We’ll be going soon, don’t you worry. But we’ve got to get you your wand first.” 

They arrived at _Ollivander’s_ and had to wait in line for a bit as two other children tried out wand after wand. Harry hoped that he wouldn’t take so long…

After about ten minutes the dark skinned boy walked out of the shop with his mother and a wand made of hazel wood with a unicorn tail hair core. The girl in line in front of Harry kept asking Mr Ollivander questions about wands and how they worked. How do they choose who they want? Were they sentient? Would a wand feel pain if it was broken? Harry would have found these constant questions a bit irritating if not for the fact that he also wanted to know the answers.

Unfortunately, Mr Ollivander only responded with vague statements that not only made no sense, but left both Harry and the inquisitive girl with more questions than when they’d started. Finally, the girl and her parents (who seemed to be muggles based on their state of dress) walked out of the shop with a wand made of vine wood with a dragon heart-string core, and then Mr Ollivander turned on Harry. 

“Good afternoon Harry Potter.” something about his pale, shiny, silvery eyes really gave Harry the creeps.

“Er, hello,” he responded awkwardly as the tall man turned to his parents,

“Mahogany, eleven inches, pliable -- has it been treating you well? How is your transfiguration?” James shifted uncomfortably,

“Good, yeah, good. I was top of my class in transfiguration at school.” Mr Ollivander nodded, then turned to Lily and Hestia and asked similar questions about their wands. They too seemed uncomfortable, and Harry was relieved that it wasn’t just him. Little Monty had completely disappeared behind his mother’s legs. 

“Well, now Mr Potter. Let me see, “And just like with the two children before him, Mr Ollivander began to measure every inch of Harry that seemed possible to measure. Once again, Al and Violet began snickering about his height, until they each received a glare from their mothers. Once the measuring was finished, Mr Ollivander began handing Harry wand after wand, and then snatching them away as each seemingly did not choose him. 

The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher and Harry realized with despair that he was taking far longer than either of the two children before him to find a wand. He began to glare at the pile of wands, what was so wrong with him that they didn’t like him? However, Mr Ollivander just seemed to get happier and happier the longer he took.

“Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we’ll find the perfect match here somewhere -- I wonder, now -- yes, why not -- unusual combination -- holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.”

Harry took the wand and he felt a sudden warmth in his fingers, he waved the wand through the air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework. Harry smiled gleefully as all those behind him clapped and hollered. He did the same motion again and the same thing happened.

“Oh, bravo!” Mr Ollivander cried, “Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…” 

“What’s curious?” Harry’s father asked, stepping forward and putting a hand on his son’s shoulder as Mr Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.

“I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Mr Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather -- just one other… Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr Potter… After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things -- terrible, yes, but great.”

Both mothers behind Harry gasped and his father began yelling at Ollivander. He accused him of giving his son a cursed wand, that there was no way that his son would be using Voldemort’s brother wand. But Mr Ollivander simply replied,

“The wand chooses the wizard, Mr Potter. It’s not always clear why, but what is clear is that this wand has chosen your son, while all the rest,” he motioned to the pile of tried wands, “Have not. The wands in this shop all know that he has been chosen, and one will not choose him again -- not this day, no…” 

Harry paid for the wand nervously while his father fumed, and his mother then suggested that they head over to Uncle Sirius’ shop to lighten everyone’s mood. Harry and Violet cheered while Al began telling them about all the cool stuff in there that he just _had_ to show them. 

As they walked towards the shop, there were two crowds gathered around. One was a group of teenage boys who were pressing their noses against the window of the shop next to Uncle Sirius’, _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ , which had the newest broom model, the Nimbus 2000, in the window. The other crowd was a group of adult men gathered around the front window of Uncle Sirius’ shop. A sign above the door read _Magical Motors_ and in the window was a sleek black and red motorbike. 

Uncle Sirius’ shop sold flying motorbikes of all different sizes, shapes and colours. They were a means of magical transportation that did not have to be hidden from muggles, so long as they were landed before any muggles saw them. When Uncle Sirius had first started up his shop, he had some run-ins with the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office in the Ministry, the head of which was Arthur Weasley. Uncle Sirius had to make some modifications to the bikes such as requiring magic to start them, making them silent during flight, requiring wizards to be of age before buying one and putting Ministry tracking devices in all of them (except his own) and then he was cleared to sell them. 

Since then, Uncle Sirius and Mr Weasley became friends, as even though Mr Weasley’s job was to prevent people from putting magic in muggle items, he himself would often take muggle things apart and put magic in them. That was how Harry and his family had met the Weasleys, and now they saw them all the time. Mr Weasley's latest creation was a flying Ford Angela with an expanded interior and an invisibility booster. Uncle Sirius kept asking Mr Weasley to work for him, but his wife Mrs Weasley wouldn’t let him. 

The inside of Uncle Sirius’ shop was amazing; it was _much_ bigger on the inside than the outside. Motorbikes lined the walls and many were floating stationary up in the air. Right in the middle of the shop were two racing tracks, one on the ground where a wizard was riding a very small-sized motorbike (which Al told him was called a pocket bike) and one up in the air made of glowing lights in a wide ellipse that mirrored the track on the ground. 

Uncle Sirius strode over to them with his arms wide as he greeted them all with great big hugs. 

“Hestia told me you guys would be coming, but I didn’t believe her! I didn’t think there would be any way that _Lily_ would let you guys in here!” Harry laughed as his mother crossed her arms defensively. Then Sirius began to show them around the shop, and Harry wished that he had about eight more eyes as he turned his head in every direction, trying to see everything all at once. Uncle Sirius explained the different models of motorbikes and how different functions on them worked. 

“This one here is a beauty,” he attested, “The Triumph Thunderbird, started with a normal 650 cc with a parallel twin engine. With an extension charm paired with the combustion charm, and a simple button-activated double-ascension charm to the body, this baby now has almost triple the original capacity and can fly just as fast if not faster than that new Nimbus broom.” 

He went on this way with every bike they passed. Some had a trunk’s size storage capacity in their saddlebags, some had a charm that could cause them to come to an immediate and abrupt stop without tossing the rider, while others used a fire freezing charm in place of breaks. Some contained a muggle detection charm, a few had an invisibility booster, and still others had a charm on them that caused all weather phenomena around the bike to stop in a 3-foot radius. 

“Uncle Remus!” Violet yelled once she caught sight of the man changing one of the motorcycle tires. Every inch of him seemed to be covered either in grease, scars, or both, which was a fairly normal sight for them as Uncle Remus had been working in Uncle Sirius’ shop for the last seven years. 

Uncle Remus greeted them happily but told them not to touch him or they would get dirty as well. Magical grease did not come out of clothes easily. 

Quickly after this, the men began talking about politics (something about how incompetent the new Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge was) and the women (including Violet) started discussing potential baby names. Harry and Al shared a look of annoyance, adult conversations were so boring. 

“Dad,” Al said suddenly, cutting through the boredom, “Can I show Harry around the shop some more?” Harry smiled, and after an argument between Harry’s mum and Uncle Sirius, the two boys were allowed to leave to explore more of the shop.

Al seemed to know almost as much about flying motorcycles as his father, and he described them in the same admiring tone as well. Harry laughed at how similar they were, and he wondered if people thought that about him and his dad too.

“Hey, what’s so funny?” Alphard demanded, but Harry was distracted. The wizard who had been riding the pocket bike around the track had just gotten off, leaving the bike unattended. Harry had a sudden urge to do something very much like his father.

“No,” Al interjected seeing where his friend’s attention had gone, “Your mum would _kill_ you! _I’m_ not even allowed to ride the bikes!”

“Wouldn’t you like to then?” Harry coaxed, “Besides, look at it, it’s just the right size for us!” 

“For _you_ maybe,” Al jeered, but after a look from Harry he said, “Fine, but we’re wearing helmets.” Harry laughed triumphantly. As they strapped on their helmets Al explained how to ride it. 

“First you kick this metal part up, then you twist this part to make it go. The more you twist it the faster it goes, so make sure you don’t twist it all at once. This button here makes it fly, if you press it again you’ll start to land. Turn this part to steer, and when you’re in the air, you tilt it up and down too. And don’t forget, you squeeze this side to make it stop, but _this side_ you squeeze while kicking that down there, and it changes the gear, which makes you go faster with less twisting. Don’t mix those two up.”

“Got it,” Harry grinned. He knew they would probably get caught and would never be allowed in Uncle Sirius’ shop again, but he just couldn’t pass up this opportunity. It was time to see how similar this was to flying on a broom. 

Remembering that he needed magic to start it, he pointed his finger at the keyhole and sent a shock through it. Immediately, the bike roared to life and Harry was exhilarated. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he followed Al’s instructions and the bike began to move.

Alphard hung on to Harry tightly as he shouted directions in his ear. As it turned out, riding a motorbike was very different and much harder than riding a broom. There were so many different things to do and remember all at the same time, unlike the natural simplicity of riding a broom. However, after a few laps around the track Harry began to get the hang of it, and he felt that he was ready to fly now. 

He pressed the flight button and tilted the handlebars upwards, and the bike began to climb in height until Harry was flying circles around the floating track of lights. Now _this_ was much more like a broom! Harry whooped in excitement, but he was not the only one.

Harry looked down, next to their fuming mothers, his and Al’s fathers were hollering at them and laughing alongside Uncle Remus who kept elbowing them in the sides while pointing at them. Harry smiled and waved at them.

“Harry, look out!” Al shouted, Harry turned his attention back to the track, but it was too late and the bike crashed right into the shimmering barrier around the track. Harry let go of the handlebars as the bike plummeted towards the ground, he squeezed his eyes shut tight as Al clung to him, both bracing for the painful impact. But it never came. Instead, when Al hit the ground, he _bounced,_ taking Harry right along with him. They continued to bounce around the track, giving Harry’s decidedly non-rubbery skin many minor scrapes and bruises, until they finally stopped right in front of their parents.

Immediately, Harry’s mother began to scold him, but he could barely hear her over the sound of his father and Uncles’ laughter.

“That was the most spectacular accidental magic I’ve ever seen!” James roared with laughter, “What a son you have, Padfoot!”

“Oh, but what about your son, Prongs? Barely eleven years old and riding a bike like a pro on his first try? Impressive, and it certainly reminds me of someone else I know.” he eyed James wickedly. Harry beamed with pride internally; he had always secretly wanted everyone to think he was just as good as his Dad, if not better. 

“I am shocked, Alphard Epimetheus!” Aunt Hestia’s shriek pierced through the laughter. “How are we supposed to trust you in your father’s shop? You know you are not allowed to ride the motorbikes!”

“It’s not my fault!” Alphard defended, “It was Harry’s idea!”

“Well if Harry jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?”

“Probably yeah,” Al countered, “Now that I know I would _bounce_.” The men beside them almost fell over laughing. Harry chuckled a little, and immediately regretted it as his mother demanded,

“Harry James, are you even listening to me??”

That was the end of their trip to Diagon Alley, Harry and Al said goodbye to each other, both knowing that the other would be getting even more of an earful at home. Harry apologized for crashing Uncle Sirius’ motorbike (that was the only part that he really felt bad about), but he just brushed it off, said it was fine, and praised Harry for how well he rode for his first time on a bike; this earned him a glare from Lily. 

Harry got the biggest lecture of his life from his mum when they got home that lasted all the way through dinner and up until bedtime; but Harry went to bed with a smile on his face, and no regrets about that day. His dreams that night were filled with flying motorbikes and strange orange feathers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story :) Please leave a comment letting me know what you thought of it and any theories you have moving forward.
> 
> Will Neville be able to get past this life-shattering revelation?
> 
> Who do you think that inquisitive girl at Ollivander's was? ;)
> 
> What does it mean that Harry still has the Phoenix feather wand? What will this mean for Neville in his future encounters with Voldemort?
> 
> How do you feel about Violet and Al? How will the presence of these new characters impact the story?
> 
> How will Neville's trip to Diagon Alley differ from Harry's?
> 
> Please leave a comment to give me your thoughts!!


	6. The Price of Greatness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter depicts Neville's trip to Diagon Alley which is in stark contrast to Harry's. Both Harry's trip to Diagon Alley in the previous chapter, and his trip there as the Boy Who Lived in the original series. There will also be a short scene with Harry, but this chapter is mostly about Neville.

After Neville’s conversation with his Grandad, the Longbottom house was strangely silent for the next few days. Trevor wanted to give Neville his space to be able to come talk to him about it when he was ready, but Neville never brought it up again. 

Slowly, life in the Longottom household returned to a semblance of normal, just in time for Sunday to arrive. Despite how overwhelmed Neville still felt about the concept of being famous, he was still very excited to enter the Wizarding World. To finally be where he belonged. 

Augusta and Trevor drove Neville to London where they entered a small, shabby, and dimly-lit pub, which the muggles around them seemed oblivious to. Inside the building, there was a sizable gathering of people that Neville recognized immediately to be witches and wizards. Drinking, smoking, and laughing, they all seemed oblivious to their arrival; that was until the barman noticed them.

“Good Lord,” he exclaimed, “Why if it isn’t Trevor and Augusta Longbottom, it has been an age!” the laughter and merriness of the pub suddenly stilled and silenced as the old barman whispered, “And that must be -- bless my soul, Neville Longbottom… what an honour.” at the sound of Neville’s name, suddenly a sea of witches and wizards came forward to shake Neville’s hand, welcome him back to the wizarding world, and make conversation with his Gran who seemed to bask in the attention. 

Neville on the other hand felt more like a fish out of water and totally overwhelmed. Never before had he been engulfed by so much attention and adoration. Suddenly the concept of being famous had become a reality to him, and one he would soon like to leave. To his great relief, after a few minutes, his Grandad’s voice broke through the chaos and he told them that they must be going, Neville had many school things to buy after all. 

Dazed, overwhelmed and slightly dizzy, Neville was directed through the pub to a brick wall which magically opened for them, revealing a long cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight. To Neville’s horror, this street (which his Gran told him was called Diagon Alley) was also bustling with all manner of witches and wizards. Neville quickly patted his hair down over his scar, he was beginning to feel very claustrophobic. 

Their first stop in Diagon Alley was to Gringotts the Wizarding Bank since muggle money would not work here. As they traveled through the vast, cavernous tunnels beneath the bank, Neville was astounded (though the movement of the cart made him feel a bit sick) by the sheer size of this place. For a moment, Neville swore he saw a real, live  _ dragon _ and as he leaned over the cart to get a better look, the cart took a sudden sharp turn and Neville found himself holding onto the outside of it for dear life. 

He cried for help and his Grandad grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back into the cart, where his Gran proceeded to scold him for his carelessness and clumsiness until they reached vault number 331. Looking into the vault, Neville was amazed. He didn’t understand why his grandparents needed to own a muggle shop at all when they had so much gold sitting here just underneath London. Neville then felt a stab of guilt once again for his grandparents having to give this up as well to protect him. 

After exiting the bank Neville’s Gran insisted that the first place they must go was Ollivanders to determine which wand Neville would wield. Would it be his father’s wand? Or a new wand “stronger than even his father’s before him”?

“Good afternoon,” said a soft voice as the Longbottoms strolled into the tiny shop, with walls lined to the ceiling with long thin boxes. The very air in the shop unnerved Neville, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and he had the distinct urge to leave immediately. The owner of the voice was an old man with wide, pale eyes, shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. 

Once the shop owner was in sight, Neville’s Gran began her tirade about their wand situation, but the old man seemed not to hear her as he only drew closer to Neville.

“Ah yes, I thought I’d be seeing you soon. Neville Longbottom.” Neville gulped nervously and he desperately wished he had given in to his urge to leave moments prior. “You look very much like your mother. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Thirteen inches long, unyielding, made of aspen. Very good for charm work and dueling.” Neville took a step back as the man drew even closer. His Gran attempted to get his attention once again, but he acted as if he didn’t notice her.

“Your father, on the other hand, favoured an English oak wand. Ten and three-quarter inches, swishy. It seems you have brought this wand back into my shop.” Suddenly he turned on his heel to face Augusta. 

“Yes,” she insisted, opening the wand box to display the wand, “As I was saying, this wand belonged to Neville’s father, it is a great wand and served him very well throughout his short-lived life. As you must know, Neville is already a great wizard, and is only destined to become even more so, he should have this wand both for his own sake, and for the wand’s, which was only used a few years before its owner’s life was cut short.”

“Your wand was laurel wood, nine inches, rigid,” Mr Ollivander mused, “A wood that seeks out glory with a direct and most unwavering temperament, it seems that wand is still quite suited to you, even after all these years. But this wand,” Mr Ollivander plucked the wand from its box, “While it was very well suited to your son when he was a boy, your grandson is not the same person.

“The English oak demands partners of strength, courage, and fidelity and is usually well fitted with those who have an affinity for the natural world. While I am sure that your grandson meets  _ some _ of these demands, he certainly does not meet them all in the way that your son did at this time. The phoenix feather at its core however makes it an unpredictable and temperamental wand. It does appear to have a fondness for your grandson -- likely due to its loyalty to Frank -- but it most certainly would not work for Neville as he is now. Perhaps one day -- but today is not that day.” 

As Neville’s Gran began her speech about Neville getting a new wand, even greater than his father’s that would serve to further his greatness, Mr Ollivander pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. He measured Neville from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and around his head. While measuring around his head, Mr Ollivander touched the lightning-shaped scar on the left side of Neville’s head with one of the long, white fingers of his right hand. 

“I’m sorry to say I sold the wand that did it,” he said softly, and Neville shivered. “Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Very powerful wand, and in the wrong hands… Well, if I’d known what that wand was going out into the world to do…” he shook his head, “And I only just sold that wand’s brother yesterday, I can only hope the young man who received it turns out differently…” Neville wanted to ask how a wand could have a brother, but the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth, and before he could pluck up the courage to speak his thoughts, Mr Ollivander began putting wands into his hand. 

It took quite a few tries, and the wands that had not chosen him had begun to form a small pile, but eventually, a wand was placed in his hand that just felt inexplicably  _ right _ . A soft hum vibrated up his arm, and when he gave the wand a slight wave it created a stream of pink light and falling pink petals which disappeared as they fell. 

“Interesting,” Mr Ollivander commented, “Cherry and unicorn, eleven and a half inches, quite flexible. Cherry is a very rare wand wood and is highly prized in the school of Mahoutokoro in Japan, where those with this wood have special prestige. It also often makes for a wand of truly lethal power, which should compensate for the core’s lacking. But the unicorn should provide consistency in the power the wand produces. 

“This is a very unique wand Mr Longbottom, and I am certain that we can expect great things from you…”

*

Meanwhile that same morning in Godric’s Hollow, while James was away at work, Lily Potter realized that they had forgotten to get something very important during their shopping the day before. She approached her children who were both enraptured by the book  _ A History of Magic _ and told them they were going back to Diagon Alley.

“Why?” Harry asked, “We got everything on my school list.”

“Not everything,” his mother asserted, “Your father and I had planned to get you the final thing on your list as an early birthday present, but after the  _ stunt _ you pulled yesterday, it slipped our minds.” Harry thought back to his school list and after a moment his eyes lit up. 

“You’re getting me a pet??” he marveled as his mother nodded.

“Specifically an owl, so that you can send us letters at Hogwarts whenever you want without having to use the school owls, they’re not the most reliable… You’ll get to pick it out and name it, and you won’t have to spend your money on it because it's a birthday gift from your father and I.” Harry and Violet shouted and celebrated as they scurried to get themselves ready to leave. Harry wasn’t even eleven yet and this was already his best birthday ever. 

*

After getting his wand, Neville’s grandparents set off with Neville to get the rest of his school supplies. They visited  _ Slug and Jigger’s Apothecary _ ,  _ Hebe’s and Bliteus’ Parchment and Ink, Potage’s Cauldron Shop,  _ and  _ Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment.  _ All that was left now was his school books and his robes. 

_ Flourish and Blott’s _ was the name of the book shop, however, the shopkeeper recognized his Grandad (apparently they had gone to Hogwarts together) and thus had been able to identify who Neville was. After shaking hands with the man and listening to his thanks, praises, and welcomes for a few minutes, he managed to sneak away once his attention had turned back to his Grandad.

Neville ran through the bookshelves, hoping that the more distance he put between himself and the shopkeeper, the more comfortable he would feel, and the more reality would return to him. However, he should have been watching where he was going as he turned a corner and ran right into someone, who fell down alongside him. 

“I’m so sorry!” Neville gasped as he turned around to help the fallen stranger up. A pink tinge crept up his cheeks as he realized that the person he had knocked over was a very cute blonde girl around his age with two long pigtails at the back of her head and braiding along the sides. They stood and dusted themselves off. 

“That’s alright,” the girl replied with a tinkling laugh, which caused the heat in his face to rise to his ears. “Are you in your first year for Hogwarts too?” Neville mumbled something which vaguely resembled a “yes”. “That’s great!” she gushed, “What’s your name?” but before he could even attempt to answer, an older blonde woman beckoned the girl away. “Sorry I’ve got to go, I’ll see you at Hogwarts though!”

Neville waved weakly as she left. 

After getting all of Neville’s books the Longbottoms walked out of  _ Flourish and Blotts _ and began heading towards  _ Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions _ . At that very moment on the other side of the street, Lily, Harry, and Violet Potter were walking out of  _ Eyelop’s Owl Emporium  _ carrying a large cage with a beautiful snowy white owl inside. Harry had decided to name her Hedwig, after Saint Hedwig in  _ A History of Magic _ , he thought the name fit her.

“Look, Mum!” Violet squealed suddenly, “That boy right there, I just saw a scar on his head! A really jagged looking one! Is that Neville Longbottom??” Harry looked where his sister was pointing to see a boy with dark blond hair whipping in the wind. Every few moments the wind would blow in just the right way to reveal the legendary scar on the boy’s head. 

“Can we go meet him?” Harry asked as he gawked in awe. 

“Absolutely not,” their mother whispered furiously, “Stop your pointing and staring, that is very  _ rude _ , I raised you both better than this.”

“But it’s  _ Neville Longbottom _ ,” Violet whined.

“We are going home right now, I will not have you treating that poor boy like an animal in the zoo.” 

Once they had arrived in their own fireplace Lily beckoned her children to the attic, saying that she had something to show them. Lily pulled out a book from an old box and dusted it off, it was a photo album. She sat between her children and flipped to the photograph that was taken on November 20th nearly ten years before.

The photograph depicted Uncle Sirius’ face, which took up half the photo before moving away to reveal other people who were all smiling and laughing. Uncle Remus was standing next to Aunt Hestia, their dad was holding a dark-haired baby they recognized as Harry, and their mum was also holding a baby, but it wasn’t Violet.

This baby was blond and round-faced with blue eyes and an unmistakable lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. Harry and Violet gasped as their mother explained, 

“This photo was taken the day after Alice and Frank Longbottom were killed. Our house was the safest place for Neville to be kept until Dumbledore could bring him to his grandparents because we were in hiding just like the Longbottoms. Voldemort was after you as well, Harry.” she explained, turning to her son, “Neville is just a normal boy like you who had something very bad happen to him. And now everyone in the Wizarding World won’t let him forget about it.

“You are going to be at Hogwarts with him Harry, I want you to promise me that you will not treat him any differently than anyone else. He is just a normal boy and he has been through enough without people gawking at him all the time as well. Promise me that you will treat him like anyone else in your class.” Harry was stunned, he had never known any of this before and he didn’t know how to make sense of it, but all the same, he replied,

“I promise.”

*

As Augusta explored the Wizarding World’s latest fashions, Neville stood on a little stool as a witch scurried around him taking his measurements. Trevor stood a few feet away, watching; there was a boy with brown hair on the stool beside Neville’s who kept looking over to him. As the boy finally turned to Neville to begin talking to him, Trevor slipped away to join his wife in order to give the boys some privacy, perhaps this boy might become Neville’s first friend in the Wizarding World. 

“You’re Neville Longbottom,” the boy beside him said after the witch had left, Neville immediately raised a hand to his forehead to pat down his hair, the wind outside must have shifted it. 

“Yeah,” Neville muttered despondently. 

“I’ve always wanted to meet you,” he drawled and Neville sighed, expecting the same attention from this boy as he had received from the man in the last shop. “To look into the eyes of the kid that ruined my life.”

“W-what?” Neville stammered.

“My grandfather and uncles are in Azkaban because of you.”

“What’s Azkaban?” Neville gulped, regretting his question the moment it passed through his lips.

“You don’t know about Azkaban?” The boy mocked, “It’s only the most terrible prison in the world. It’s a thousand miles away from everything and in the middle of the ocean. The guards there aren’t human, they’re soulless creatures of darkness that suck every bit of happiness right out of you. The prisoners there go mad and if they ever get out, they’re never the same. That is, unless the guards suck out their soul.” 

Neville gasped, “That can happen?” 

“Yes,” the boy sneered, “It leaves the person’s body behind as an empty shell. They’re alive but everything that made them who they are is completely gone.” Neville shuddered at the idea of such a horrible thing. “And my uncles and grandfather are there because of you. My mother died of grief after they were sent there, my father has never been the same since. You ruined my life, Neville Long—” but he cut himself off as the witch came back with his and Neville’s new robes. 

The boy glared at Neville as he hopped off the stool and left the shop with a pale and sullen-looking man.

As Neville’s Gran paid for a large pile of new robes for herself and Neville’s school robes, Trevor asked Neville if he had made a new friend. Neville flinched and simply replied, 

“No,” As they made their way out of the shop. 

That night Neville’s dreams were haunted by creatures of darkness and the words “great” and “greatness” echoed through his mind as he attempted to escape it all.

*

A few days after their trip to Diagon Alley the Longbottoms and Marigold celebrated Neville’s eleventh birthday. While Marigold dropped a dead bird on his lap, his Grandad gave him a book about the different types, appearances, and properties of flowers, and his Gran gave him a remembrall. It was a glass ball the size of a large marble that was filled with white smoke. His Gran told him that it was to help him remember to do his homework, if the smoke turned red that meant he was forgetting something important.

Plucking up what little courage he had, Neville asked his Gran if he could have something else for his birthday. Even though he had already gotten another wand, he wanted to know if he could keep his father’s old wand anyway. Augusta beamed at him as she scurried off to retrieve the wand once again. Even if he would never be strong or courageous enough to use the wand, the thought of keeping something with him that had belonged to his father filled his heart with warmth. 

As his cake was brought out and he was told to make a wish and blow out the candles, Neville hesitated. Every single year for as long as he could remember, Neville had always wished to be the greatest wizard ever. That was what he had always wanted to be, his Gran always told him that’s what he would be, and his Grandad seemed to fit that description to him and he wanted to be like him. This year, however, he blew out his candles without making any wish at all. 

Neville wasn’t so sure he wanted to be the “greatest wizard ever” anymore. He wasn’t even sure that he wanted to be “great” at all. All Neville wanted to be was himself. The trouble was, he wasn’t fully certain of exactly who that was...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading up until this point! 
> 
> I love answering comments, so please leave a comment down below with your thoughts, constructive criticisms, and theories as to what will happen next!!
> 
> How will Neville having his own wand from the beginning change things? Or that he does not have Voldemort's brother wand?
> 
> What do you think of the description of Frank Longbottom's wand? Or Ollivander's statement "it most certainly would not work for Neville as he is now. Perhaps one day -- but today is not that day."? Especially after Neville kept the wand...
> 
> Who do you think the cute blonde girl in Flourish and Blott's was?
> 
> How will Harry treat Neville when he sees him again on the Hogwarts Express/Hogwarts after what his mother said to him? (that picture taken in the third chapter really came in handy ;)
> 
> Who was the boy in Madam Malkins with family in Azkaban?
> 
> And how will Neville not wanting to be "great" impact the rest of the story? Who will Neville become?
> 
> PS. I didn't have room for it in this chapter but Trevor Longbottom's wand is Beechwood and Unicorn Tail Hair, 12 1/2", Very Flexible. I put a lot of thought into these wands XD


	7. New Friends, Old Families

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter touches briefly on the month of August, leading up to September first. After that, this chapter sets the ground work for Harry's and Neville's friendships as they meet people on the Hogwarts Express on their way to Hogwarts.
> 
> Rife with conflict and family history, all aboard the Hogwarts Express!

For Harry, the month of August seemed to pass dreadfully slowly. He tried to keep himself occupied by reading his new books, playing games with his sister and Al, and riding his broom (he wouldn’t be able to do either of the last two for the next few months so he tried to get as much in now as possible). He wrote a few letters to his Uncles to try Hedwig out, she was a very good owl and always brought back their responses within a day or two (although she had an attitude if Harry didn’t pay her attention or give her treats). But despite all of this, the days just wouldn’t pass fast enough.

During the second week of August, Harry’s extended family had another one of their parties, and of course Harry and Violet were expected to attend with their parents. Harry’s first cousin once removed, a woman he called Aunt Margeret, and her husband Herman Puckle hosted the party at their house as usual, as they were the oldest of Harry’s living relatives. Most of the talk at the party was about Hogwarts, Harry’s second cousin once removed Annabeth Puckle would be going back for her fourth year, while her sister was going back for her second. Annabeth was a Ravenclaw while Aurelia was in Gryffindor, and their parents kept asking his parents what house they thought he would be in. James insisted that Harry would be a Gryffindor. 

The younger cousins kept pestering Harry, asking him about what he thought Hogwarts would be like, what house he would be in, and telling him that they were so jealous that he would be going this year. Sean Peaks and Geoffrey Hooper wouldn’t be going until next year, Stephen Puckle would be going the same year as Violet and Al, Jimmy Peaks would be starting the year after that and Heather Hooper would be going the same year as Monty (which wouldn’t be until Harry’s seventh year).

As the end of August grew closer, Al began to become moodier and more distant. A few times he had snapped at Harry or his parents and stormed off. Harry felt bad that he would be leaving Al behind, but he couldn’t help that he was older. A few days before Harry left, Al became very upset and told Harry that he was going to make so many new friends at Hogwarts that he was going to forget all about him. Harry assured him that wouldn’t happen and promised to write to him every single day if he wanted. This seemed to lighten Al’s mood, just a little bit. 

For Neville, the month of August flew by in a flash. He was so anxious about going back into the Wizarding World, where everyone knew his name, that he wished he could’ve had a little more time to mentally prepare himself, but before he knew it, September 1st had arrived. As he and his grandparents arrived at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 at King’s Cross station, he reached into his left pocket and gripped his father’s wand. He had taken to carrying the wand with him everywhere, it was something of a comfort to him, like his father was right there with him. 

He squeezed his eyes shut tight as he and his Grandad ran right at the barrier and then through it onto platform 9 ¾. There were a few people already there, bustling around and saying their goodbye’s in front of a scarlett steam engine. A sign overhead said _Hogwarts Express, 11 o’clock_. They were about an hour early, but his Gran had insisted on it. Marigold and his Gran came through the barrier after them, and the orange cat rubbed her face against his legs until he picked her up. After they had loaded his trunk and his Gran gave him a long lecture, Neville boarded the train, unaware that a pair of green eyes were following his movements.

Harry’s family had Flooed to Platform 9 ¾, his Mum was very excited for this as she said that she had only ever come in the muggle-born way when she was in school. Harry had to quickly move out of the way of the fireplace as a burly teenager and his parents came through next. They showed Harry’s ticket to a man at the door as they exited the booth and walked out onto the platform. Uncle Remus, Uncle Sirius, Hestia, Al and Monty were already there waiting for them. Harry was afraid that Al would be upset again today, but he actually seemed alright and Harry smiled as he tackled his best friend in a hug. 

While Harry’s Uncles loaded his trunk onto the train, Harry caught sight of a familiar blond boy. Neville Longbottom was just a few feet away from them! Harry was so excited that he would get to be in the same year as the Boy Who Lived. As he watched him board the train, Harry had the urge to follow him, he could maybe sit with him, ask him about his scar and Voldemort even -- 

No, his mother had told him to treat Neville like everyone else, he was just a normal boy. Harry could have easily been in his place and he wouldn’t have wanted someone following _him_ around like that. He could barely stand it when his little cousins were pestering him at the party a few weeks ago, he couldn’t imagine if _everyone_ did that _all the time_. 

As Harry said goodbye to his family and friends, everyone was full of tears. His mother, sister and Hestia were all crying (although Hestia blamed it on being pregnant) and Al and Uncle Sirius kept saying they had “something in their eye”. Even little Monty came out from behind his mother’s legs to give Harry a very tearful hug. The only one who wasn’t crying was Uncle Remus, but he did give Harry a very tight hug and told him that he would miss him. 

Once Harry had boarded the train he had the distinct urge to search for Neville Longbottom again, but he knew that the only reason he wanted to sit with the boy was because he was famous and that wasn’t right. So Harry picked an empty compartment near the middle of the train and sat by himself. After looking to see that no one was around he began to pull a silky, silvery fabric out of his very large robe pocket. As he laid the fabric across his legs, they completely disappeared, showing only the seat under him.

That morning, before his father had gone to work he had come into Harry’s room and woke him up.

“I have something for you,” he had told him very seriously, “My father gave it to me just before I got on the Hogwarts Express for the first time, but unfortunately I won’t be able to see you off today, so I’m giving it to you now.”

“What is it?” Harry had asked as he reached out to touch the folded fabric; it felt strange, like water woven into material. 

“It’s called an invisibility cloak, Harry. It is very special and has been passed down in our family from father to son for generations. When your uncles and I were in school we used this cloak to explore every part of Hogwarts we could find. We even made a special map of all we found; the Marauder’s Map, which showed every secret passage we had found _and_ where everyone in the castle was at all times.” 

“That’s amazing!” Harry exclaimed, only to be shushed by his father, but he was smirking now.

“That it was Harry, until that nasty caretaker Argus Filch confiscated it, he’ll never be able to figure out what it is though. Come to think of it, he might even still have it. Harry, if you ever end up in Filch’s office and you find a thick, folded up piece of blank parchment, just say “I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good” and the map will appear, to make it disappear again you say “Mischief Managed”. 

“Don’t tell your mother I told you about the map, and don’t tell her I’ve given you the cloak either, and especially don’t tell her that I’ve said this; I want you to use the cloak, Harry. Discover every secret passageway, even ones we never found. Explore the castle in the middle of the night, get up to all the mischief you want, as long as you don’t get caught, and you keep your marks up. I managed to still get E’s and O’s across the board when I was in school and I expect the same from you, even if you’re up all night exploring. 

“Enjoy your time at Hogwarts Harry, make the most of it. You only get to go there once. Seven years might seem like a long time to you now, but it’ll be over before you know it.” then he had given Harry a hug, ruffled his hair and left for work. Harry intended to do exactly as his father said, explore the castle invisibly by night while getting the best marks during the day. He would be just like his father, if not better. He wanted to discover things in Hogwarts that even his father and uncles had never found, things that would amaze them. 

Suddenly, the compartment door slid open and Harry looked up to see the inquisitive girl from Ollivanders. She had bushy brown hair, brown eyes, two large front teeth and was already wearing her Hogwarts robes like he was.

“I remember you,” she stated matter-of-factly, “You were in line behind me at Olivanders, I’m Hermione Granger and --” she stopped speaking as she looked down at his legs, and Harry began to panic as he realized he had not put the invisibility cloak away just yet. “Where are your legs??” she demanded. 

“Er, they’re right here,” he responded, pulling the cloak off, and her eyes grew wide.

“What is that?” she questioned, staring at the cloak. Harry sighed, he supposed he had to tell her at this point. 

“It’s called an invisibility cloak,” he confessed, “It makes anyone wearing it invisible.” then he demonstrated by throwing it over his head, he smirked in satisfaction when she gasped. But then her eyes narrowed and she asked,

“Is that against the rules?” Harry thought about it for a moment as he pulled the cloak off and folded it up, then he replied honestly,

“I don’t know, but my dad gave it to me and told me to bring it with me. It’s been in my family for generations, and his dad gave it to him when he went off to Hogwarts too.”

“So you come from an all-wizarding family then?” she inquired as she sat down, and Harry, glad to be off of the topic of his cloak, divulged to Hermione,

“For the most part yeah, my parents are a witch and a wizard, and my dad’s family is all wizards going back generations, but my mum’s parents are muggles and she has a muggle sister too.”

“That’s just like me,” Hermione attested, “Except I don’t have a sister, I’m an only child. My parents are both muggles, nobody in my family’s magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it’s the very best school of witchcraft there is, I’ve heard -- I’ve learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough…” Harry wondered if she ever breathed. 

“I don’t think you have to worry about it that much,” Harry assured her, “Like I said, my mum was a muggle-born too and she was one of the best in her year, along with my dad and my uncles, and all of them had come from mostly wizarding families.” Hermione absolutely beamed at this before she realized, 

“Oh I’m sorry, I’ve just remembered that I haven’t asked your name.” Harry smiled,

“My name’s Harry Potter,” 

“Pleasure,” Hermione replied as she reached out a hand and he shook it. “Is there anything else you can tell me about the Wizarding World?” she inquired, “I find everything about magic just so fascinating.” Harry thought for a moment then asked,

“Have you ever heard of Quidditch?”

*

Wanting to avoid as many people as possible, Neville and Marigold had claimed an empty compartment at the very back of the train. He sighed in relief as he had some time alone with his cat; as much as he wished to make friends, the sort of attention he received in the Wizarding World was just too overwhelming for him. 

Neville was left perfectly and contentently alone until the compartment door slid open to reveal a tall, thin boy with flaming red hair, freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose that had a bit of dirt on the side of it.

“Anyone sitting there?” he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Neville, “Everywhere else is full.” Neville shook his head and the boy sat down, he assumed that everywhere else must really be full for him to have come all the way to the back of the train for a seat. He glanced at Neville, eyes flicking up to his forehead, and then looked quickly out the window, pretending he hadn’t looked. Neville flattened his hair over his forehead once again. 

Feeling uncomfortable in the silence, and in the reality that this boy knew who he was but he didn’t know him, Neville asked,

“S-so what’s your name?” the boy jumped a little and then replied,

“Ron. Ron Weasley.” Neville smiled, recognizing the name, this boy must be one of the many red-haired children of Arthur Weasley. 

“I’m Neville,” he told Ron, “But you probably already knew that…” Ron didn’t seem to know how to respond to this as he continued to stare out the window. 

“Hey, Ron,”

“We finally found you.” Two identical boys also with flaming red hair, who must have been Arthur Weasley’s twin sons, had waltzed into their compartment. 

“Took us forever, what’re you doing all the way at the back of the train?”

“Couldn’t find another seat,” he mumbled. 

“Anyway, listen, we’re going down to the middle of the train -- Lee Jordan’s got a giant tarantula down there.”

“If you had trouble finding a seat, you could always come with us.”

“Right,” he muttered, “I’m good.”

“Suit yourself then, who’s your friend?” Ron smirked a little as he answered,

“This is Neville.”

“Neville?”

“Blimey, you don’t mean --”

“ _The_ Neville?”

“And has he got--?”

“He _has_!” they gawped at him for a moment, then seemed to come back to themselves and announced.

“Well allow us to introduce ourselves, Fred and George Weasley, and Ron is our brother.”

“If you ever need any help navigating the castle, we’re happy to help, we know the castle like the back of our hands, and it’s hard being a first year.” Neville smiled, this felt almost like a normal conversation. 

“Thanks, I appreciate that.” he said honestly.

“See you around, Neville.” they chorused as they left the compartment. 

“Your brothers are nice,” Neville stated with a smile.

“Yeah, they’re alright when they want to be,” Ron replied, “But they also like to joke around and prank people a lot though, so watch out for them.” Neville laughed and Ron smiled sheepishly before he asked, “Is it true that you’ve been living with the muggles?” 

“Sort of,” Neville responded, “I live with my Gran and Grandad and they have magic, but yeah we’ve been living in the muggle world.”

“Wow,” Ron gaped, “I’d heard that before, but some people say you left the country even, but my Mum said there was no way. What’s the muggle world like? My dad is obsessed with muggles.”

“Well,” Neville thought of the best way to explain it, “Everything is a lot slower. They can’t just magic things to happen so they have to do it all the hard way. They have different money, they use electricity --”

“Oh, my dad talks about that sometimes, the ecklekticidy, he says that’s what muggles use instead of magic. He said it's like ‘controlled lightning’, whatever that means.” Neville laughed, he didn’t realize how little most wizards knew about the muggle world. He told Ron a little bit more about muggle things like telephones and speakers and cars. Ron was shocked when he told him that muggle cars couldn’t fly. 

This continued on until a smiling dimpled woman with a trolly full of sweets asked them if they would like anything. Neville got up, his Grandad had given him a little bit of money to buy treats. He had never gotten to try wizarding treats, but he had heard a lot about them. He bought a couple chocolate frogs (his Grandad told him they had famous wizard cards in them), a few pumpkin pasties and some licorice wands (he avoided the Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans as his Grandad had told him about these and he didn’t particularly like the idea of ‘flavour gambling’). 

Back in the compartment, Ron had taken out some sandwiches with a pinched look on his face. Neville’s Gran had always told him that if he filled up just on sweets it would make him sick, so he offered,

“I can share mine with you if you’d be alright sharing your sandwiches with me.” Ron looked at his treats with wide eyes, then looked back at his sandwiches and grimaced,

“You don’t want this, it’s all dry. She hasn’t got much time, with the five of us.”

“My Gran says if I fill up on sweets it’ll make me sick. I don’t mind if it’s dry. Here, have a licorice.” Ron smiled and gladly took it, and begrudgingly gave Neville one of the sandwiches. It was a bit dry, but at least he knew he wouldn’t get sick. While Neville ate the sandwich, Ron opened one of the chocolate frogs, Marigold chased after the frog, but Neville pulled her away from it before she could eat it. He tried to offer her part of his sandwich, but she turned her nose up at it, which made Ron laugh. 

“Oh, I’ve just got Dumbledore again, I’ve got about four of him. I was hoping I would get Agrippa or Ptolemy… Do you want it? You could start collecting.” Neville nodded enthusiastically as he took the card and looked down at Dumbledore. He was a very old man with half moon glasses over twinkling blue eyes and long white hair and beard. He turned the card over and read,

**Albus Dumbledore**

Currently Headmaster of Hogwarts. 

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times,

Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous

for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald

in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of

dragon’s blood and his work on alchemy with

his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore

enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling. 

After reading the card and tucking it into his pocket, Neville remembered that Ron had brought up his family, so he decided to ask, “So what’s it like having such a big family? I’m an only child.”

“Well, I’m one of the youngest,” Ron replied gloomily, “Which means I’m the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I’ve got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left -- Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy’s a Prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they’re really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it’s no big deal, because they did it first.”

“I sort of know what you mean,” Neville empathized, “I don’t have any older siblings or anything, but everyone has such great expectations of me because I’m ‘The Boy Who Lived’. I’m pretty sure I’m not all that great, and I’ll probably disappoint a lot of people.” Ron hummed,

“I guess we aren’t so different after all. I never really thought about it that way, but yeah I guess I thought Neville Longbottom would just be good at everything too.” Neville laughed nervously, and Ron continued what he had been saying before, “As for having lots of brothers though, you also never get anything new, everything I have is a hand-me-down. I’ve got Bill’s old robes, Charlie’s old wand and Percy’s old rat.” 

Ron then reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep. “His name’s Scabbers and he’s useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a Prefect, but they couldn’t aff-- I mean, I got Scabbers instead--”

“Marigold, no!” Neville exclaimed as his cat swatted the rat out of Ron’s hands, Neville threw himself across the seat, almost landing on the poor rat, but he managed to catch him. He held the rat up to his face and said, “It’s alright, you’re safe now,” but the rat squirmed and wriggled until it got out of his hands, dropping onto the floor and scurrying out of the open compartment. 

“Scabbers!” Ron yelled as he got up to chase after his rat.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Neville offered.

“That’s alright, Neville,” Ron replied, “I’ll find him, besides, I think he’s scared of you, maybe ‘cause he doesn’t know you.” Neville nodded and then sat back down in his seat, scolding his cat for her misbehaviour. 

Neville was alone in the compartment again for a few minutes, until three boys showed up at his door. The two on either side were thickset and looked very tough, while the boy in the middle was thin, pale, and blond with a pointed face. The boy held himself upright with a sort of dignity that Neville had never seen in another kid before. 

“Is it true? They’re saying down the train that Neville Longbottom’s in this compartment.” Neville flushed.

“Yeah, that’s me,” he said sheepishly. The pale boy smirked, and Neville glanced at the thicker boys; standing either side like that they looked a bit like bodyguards. Seeing where he was looking, the boy introduced them,

“Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle, and my name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Neville smiled, and the pale boy smirked as he held out his hand, Neville shook it. “Do you want to sit down?” he offered, “My friend will be back soon, but I don’t think he’d mind you staying until he comes back.” Draco smiled as he sauntered over to the seat opposite him and his bodyguards followed. 

“You’ve been out of the Wizarding World for a while,” Draco began in a very business-like manner, “So you wouldn’t know, but my family has a lot of influence around here, and we have a way of getting things done, if you know what I mean. We could be of use to you.” Neville was very confused.

“What do you mean?”

“Whatever your goals are,” Draco gave him a knowing look, but Neville had no idea what he knew, “I can help you.” Help him?

“Do you want to be friends?” he wondered aloud, and the boy smiled widely. Maybe this boy just had a strange way of asking for friendship. 

“Yes, friends, I think that’ll do nicely.” the boy replied and Neville laughed. A pink tinge appeared in the boy’s cheeks and Neville started asking the boy about his family, like he had done with Ron. That seemed to be a good way to start conversation with wizards, and Draco was more than happy to ramble on about the last ten generations of the Malfoy family. 

*

Harry had spent a good deal of the train ride telling Hermione everything he knew about Quidditch. He told her about the four different balls and the seven different players and their roles. He told her about different broomstick models and about some of the seven hundred different ways to commit a foul while playing. When Harry told her about the history of the Golden Snicket she was outraged. 

“That’s just terrible!” she had exclaimed, “How could they do something like that? Kill that poor bird so much for a game that it became _endangered_?!” 

“I don’t know,” Harry had replied, “But that’s why the Golden Snitch was invented, so that the Golden Snicket could be protected.”

Then the trolly lady came by their door, Harry bought some treats and he offered some to Hermione.

“No, I’m alright, thanks. My parents are dentists and they don’t like me to eat too many sweets.”

“What’s a dentist?” Harry asked, and now it was her turn to explain something to him. It turned out that a dentist was like a muggle teeth healer, because Muggles didn’t just have spells and magical mints to fix up their teeth and the way their breath smelled. Hermione told Harry that she would show him what a toothbrush looked like when they had access to their trunks again. 

Just then their compartment door slid open. 

“Hey, have you seen a rat, he’s fat and grey and stupid -- oh, hi Harry.” It was Ron Weasley. Ron was the same age as Harry, so their parents had always thought that they would become friends, but Ron had always been Harry’s least favourite Weasley brother. He always complained about everything, especially his family, and he always had something negative to say. Harry and Al both agreed that they couldn’t stand his company for more than a few minutes. 

“Hi Ron, no sorry, I haven’t seen a rat. Are you talking about Percy’s rat?”

“Yeah, he’s mine now,” Ron mumbled, “Percy got a new owl for being made a Prefect so he gave Scabbers to me.” Harry nodded and then realized the polite thing to do would be to introduce Hermione.

“Oh, Ron, this is my friend Hermione,” she perked up at the word ‘friend’ and smiled, “Hermione, this is Ron Weasley, his family is friends with mine.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Hermione greeted, “Although instead of looking for a rat, you really should change into your robes, I expect we’ll be arriving soon, and I don’t think you can wear clothes like that in Hogwarts.” 

“Mind your own business, will you?” Ron retorted rudely, “I’ll change when I want to get changed.”

“I only said anything to keep you from getting in trouble,” Hermione defended in a sniffy voice, “And you’ve got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know? You should probably wash that off.” Ron glared at her as he slammed their door shut and left. Once he was gone, Harry just laughed, 

“That was brilliant Hermione!” she beamed at his praise.

*

Neville marvelled at just how much Draco knew about his family’s history. With immense passion and enthusiasm Draco told Neville about his grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy, who had been heavily involved in the Ministry of Magic during his lifetime and there were rumours (which Draco did not confirm or deny) that he had caused one of the Ministers for Magic to lose their position. He then told him that Abraxas’ father Hyperion Malfoy had tripled the Malfoy fortune through networking and well-timed opportune investments. His father before him, Cronos Malfoy had been an animagus and could turn himself into a sparrow at will. 

Cronos Malfoy’s father Sylus Malfoy had won the sixty-eighth Wizarding Schools Potions Championship in 1876, bringing the first victory to Hogwarts in almost fifty years. The last six championships before that year had gone back and forth between the Koldovstoretz school in Russia and the Mahoutokoro School of Magic in Japan. Sylus Malfoy’s father Maximus Malfoy III had served as the Potions Master at Hogwarts for several years before he left his position to join a group of anarchist wizards. This group split when part of their faction (lead by Maximus) entered into a contract with the Goblin Liberation Front for a substantial amount of money, which served to increase the Malfoy fortune.

Maximus’ father Caspian Malfoy was the Senior Undersecretary to the Ministers for Magic Priscilla Dupont, Dugold McPhail and Faris Spavin whose term outlasted Caspian’s life. Caspian’s father Atticus Malfoy had two wives, one of which was his cousin and the other (the mother of Caspian) was his own sister. Neville had laughed thinking this was a joke, until it became apparent that Draco was completely serious. Atticus’ father Septimus Malfoy was very influential in the Ministry of Magic serving as the Minister for Magic Unctuous Osbert’s personal advisor for the entirety of his term as Minister. Septimus’ father Magnus Malfoy had spent his life studying alchemy, and his father Decimus Malfoy was the only person in Hogwarts’ history to have won the Triwizard Tournament twice (the first time having been when he was only 13). 

Just as Draco had gotten to Maxiumus Malfoy II (who was the only male of seven children) Ron came back into the compartment, looking thoroughly disgruntled and quite red in the face, no rat in sight. When he saw Draco, Crabbe and Goyle sitting in his seat he demanded,

“Who are _they_?” 

“Oh, hi Ron,” Neville faltered, “This… this is my new friend Draco, and his friends. Draco, this is my friend I told you about earlier, his name is Ron.” Ron sniggered.

“What kind of a name is _Draco_?”

“Think my name is funny do you?” Draco sneered, his earlier passion and enthusiasm replaced by a drawling contempt, “No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.” Ron’s face had turned as red as his hair as Draco turned back to Neville, “Longbottom, I know you’re new to the Wizarding World, but there are just some things you _should not_ do, and becoming friends with riff raff like the Weasleys is one of them.” 

Neville felt panicky and uncertain. He had really enjoyed spending time with Draco and hearing about his family. While it was a lot of information that he was certain he wouldn’t remember, it was interesting and gave him a glimpse into the Wizarding World and what it would have been like to grow up here. However, he did not at all like the way that he was speaking to Ron, it was very mean and he sounded like a bully. 

Hadn’t Ron started it though? He had made fun of Draco’s name. Draco’s family clearly had a lot of money and they were involved in politics a lot, while Ron didn’t seem to come from a very wealthy family and he doubted that they were as political as the Malfoys. This was probably just how Draco was raised to think, afterall he had said that was what his _father_ had told him about the Weasleys, not necessarily what he had thought on his own. Neville didn’t want to pick a side, he had enjoyed talking to both of them, but he felt like he was caught in the middle. 

“Say that again,” Ron seethed.

“Oh, you’re going to fight us, are you?” Draco scowled, Ron eyed Crabbe and Goyle nervously before he announced,

“Yeah, we can take you, come on Neville!” 

“I’m not fighting anyone!” Neville sputtered. “You’re both my friends, can’t we just all get along?”

“You’re siding with _him_?” Ron demanded, “After what he said about my family?!” 

“I’m not siding with anyone!” Neville insisted, “And you know he only said that because you made fun of his name--” Neville immediately regretted what he said as Ron grabbed his stuff and stormed out of the compartment, bumping into Neville’s shoulder as he left. Neville felt just terrible. 

“You picked the right side, Longbottom. You’ll soon find out that some wizarding families are much better than others, and you don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” Neville sighed as he covered his face with his hands.

“I’m not siding with anyone, Draco. I liked talking to both you _and_ Ron, I don’t know if Ron will ever speak to me again though… I’m not trying to be all political or anything, I just want to make friends.” Draco just shook his head.

“You still have a lot to learn, Longbottom.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for reading my story, I hope nobody was too disappointed that Harry and Neville are not friends just yet. It will come eventually in time, but not just yet. I tried to do what I thought would logically make sense, not just force something because I wanted it in my story. 
> 
> So please leave a comment telling me what you think and sharing any theories :)
> 
> What do you think about Hermione and Harry's budding friendship?
> 
> What do you think about the conflict between Ron and Draco?
> 
> What do you think of Draco's Family history?
> 
> Do you think Neville is making the right decisions or is he being naive?
> 
> Why does Draco even want to be friends with The Boy Who Lived in the first place???
> 
> PS. Next chapter will be the sorting, don't expect much deviation from canon there, but we will get a peak into Harry and Neville's minds :)


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